Love Works in Mysterious Ways
by Luna Sol Leil
Summary: LBD Alternate Universe. William Darcy had never been in love before, but when he comes across the first episode of Lizzie Bennet's video diaries on YouTube and discovers that his best friend has just bought a summer house in her home town it all seems too convenient. Maybe, fate, or the universe is trying to tell him something. Maybe he won't be alone anymore.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so I had this crazy idea, what if William Darcy, by sheer coincidence discovered Lizzie's videos before he met her? What would happen? If this gets a good response I will continue, so sound off in the comments. Also, if I do continue I would like to come up with a better title, so any suggestions would be fantastic. Thanks!**

William Darcy had never been in love before.

He was the living, breathing definition of a workaholic. When his parents died several years before, he was forced to take over Pemberley Digital as CEO as well as raise his sister, Gigi, who was seven years his junior. He was only twenty when the tragedy happened. Between his own school work and his new responsibilities he had no desire to be distracted by women.

He had fallen into a routine, and in between twelve-hour days and spending every other free moment with Gigi, he had no time to spare for personal relationships. He only had a few select friends, Fitz Williams, a childhood friend, and Bing Lee, whom he had met at Harvard. Of course, there was Caroline, Bing's sister. She was the only female other than Gigi and his coworkers that he interacted with frequently.

William Darcy had convinced himself that he was very happy with his life. He loved his work, and he loved Gigi more than anyone else in the world. He had no desire to make more friends. Fitz and Bing and Caroline were enough. Yes, he would often to say to himself, you have a good life.

Most days he believed it.

It was only in the hours past midnight that he had a chance to reflect on how lonely he was. Still, he couldn't justify starting to date. He was simply too busy. Besides, he had watched his friend Bing fall in love over and over again, and it always ended badly. After all that he had suffered due to losing his parents he had no desire to be in a string of failed relationships.

He wanted something better in life. He remembered how his parents met. They were in the university library. His mother was working there at the time, and the moment he saw her, he knew it was love at first sight. He knew that she was the woman he was going to marry. After their initial meeting, his father would always go up to her and request her help in finding a volume. This went on for several months until he finally worked up the courage to ask her to dinner.

They dated throughout their college careers and one year after graduation Darcy Sr. asked Anne Fitzwilliam to marry him and she said yes.

William Darcy always figured he would meet his future partner in the same way. However as the years passed by he had stopped looking. It would happen when it happened or not at all. There was no point in wasting his valuable time.

It was beginning of April 2012 and Darcy had just returned home from the offices. Gigi was still at tennis practice and wouldn't be home for another hour. He settled into his office and logged onto his desktop to go through the various work emails that he received during the day.

This time, though, it was different. Normally, Darcy didn't spend too much time on YouTube or social media websites, but for some reason he went to YouTube to find some obscure music to listen to.

Darcy scrolled through his recommendations and something peculiar caught his eye. It was a video called "My Name Is Lizzie Bennet". Darcy certainly never watched anything like this. Gigi must have been on the computer earlier and forgotten to log out.

The thumbnail was of a pretty redheaded young woman and for some reason it was intriguing. He clicked the link and watched the three-minute video.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

Darcy snorted. He wasn't sure how true that was. Still he didn't stop the video.

It was the first of a project. She was a grad student in Mass Communications and the project was for her thesis. Well, a video diary was certainly an interesting concept, and Lizzie Bennet was strangely compelling.

It was the last minute of the video that surprised him the most.

Bing Lee. His best friend Bing. It wasn't as if it was a very common name. Still, Bing hadn't told him anything about purchasing a house. Although, it was Monday and the last time he had talked to his friend three days previously, he had mentioned something about looking into purchasing a summer home.

Bing must have bought the first house he saw. His friend had always been impulsive.

Darcy took out his phone and dialed Bing's number just to confirm his suspicions. Although he was pretty sure that it was his friend who was mentioned in the video. It was just too coincidental to be someone else.

"Hey Darcy. It's been a few days," said Bing when he answered. "I have some exciting news. I just bought a summer home in a small town in California"

"Really?" said Darcy, feigning surprise.

"Yes. It's a really beautiful property and I'm going to spend the summer there. I was hoping you and Caroline would join me here in a few days."

"Okay, I will see what I can do," he said. For some reason he couldn't fight the feeling that meeting Lizzie Bennet would be a good decision. If he spent the summer with Bing, then it would certainly be a possibility.

"Thanks Darcy. Caroline will be happy that you're coming. You know how she is about small towns."

"Oh yes, I do," said Darcy. I will let you know about my plans in a couple of days, but I believe business will allow me to spend the summer with you and Caroline."

"I'm looking forward to it. You're going to love it here."

"Okay. Forgive me Bing, but I have some reports to file."

"Okay, see you soon. Goodbye Darcy."

"Goodbye Bing."

Yes, William Darcy had never been in love before. He had never paid particular attention to women in the past either. Which is why it was odd that Lizzie Bennet, a woman whom he had never met in person, was so intriguing. Usually, Darcy wasn't impulsive. It was atypical for him to spend an entire summer out of town unless he was traveling for business. However, he was also a man that would do anything for the people he loved. So he couldn't say no when Bing asked him to come. Besides, this meant that he would be able to meet Lizzie Bennet it real life.

Despite the fact that Darcy was very sensible and pragmatic, something in his heart made him suspect that it wasn't a coincidence that her video had showed up in his YouTube feed, that Bing had bought a house in her town and then asked him to stay. Because of his parents he believed in true love and fate. Maybe, just maybe, the universe was trying to tell him something. Maybe he would no longer be alone.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow! I'm stunned and grateful for the response this got. It's time for another writing adventure. This chapter will be the events leading up to Lizzie and Darcy's first meeting at the Gibson wedding. I own nothing, though I wish I did. **

Darcy spent the following week at Pemberley making sure that he would be able to complete his work while staying with Bing during the summer. Schedules were rearranged, board meetings moved up, and he began to gather all the materials he would need for an extended time away.

During that week he watched Lizzie Bennets next two videos and learned about her sisters and her parents. Lizzie Bennet was still quite compelling and Darcy couldn't help but feel nervous about coming across her in person.

Bing had only met Mr. Bennet while signing up for membership at the local country club, and had yet to meet the rest of the family. He was also unaware of the videos and Darcy was unsure if he would tell his friend about them. Caroline didn't know either, but it didn't seem to matter. He hadn't seen anything truly alarming in the videos as of yet and if he did, then he would inform Bing and Caroline of their existence.

It was strange to feel enamored of a web video. Darcy hated irrationality and he hoped the feeling would go away.

When he talked to Bing Tuesday night before his flight, he sounded happy. "Everyone I've met so far has been kind and welcoming. Our old friend Stuart is getting married in a few days, and I told him you would be in town so you and Caroline are also invited. We'll be able to meet everyone in the neighborhood.""

"That's great Bing," replied Darcy unenthusiastically. He hated large gatherings, especially when almost everyone at the gathering strangers.

"I'll pick you and Caroline up from the airport tomorrow. Then you'll have a couple days to settle in before the wedding on Saturday."

"Fine. I will see you tomorrow." Then he hung up and finished packing for the trip.

-/-

"Ugh, I can already tell I'm not going to like this town," said Caroline while they were waiting for Bing to arrive with his driver. You can always judge a town by its service industry and the employees at the airport were awful."

Darcy didn't make a reply. He hadn't seen enough of the town to judge.

A few minutes later, a black town car pulled up to the curb. Bing emerged and came to hug his sister and best friend. "I'm so glad you guys made it here safely. Thank you for coming."

Caroline forced a smile. "Anything for you, Bing."

"Our pleasure," said Darcy, sounding at least more sincere than Caroline.

"You're going to love the house," said Bing. "Well let's get going. I'm sure you two are tired from the flight." They all piled into the car.

"I have a conference call at 6:00," said Darcy.

"You just got here and you're going to be working already?" said Bing.

"I don't know why your surprised," said Caroline, "Our Mr. Darcy is the definition of a workaholic."

"Yes, he is. Well, we'll get back in plenty of time for your conference call."

When they arrived at Netherfield Darcy noticed that a car driving past slowed down considerably. Bing was already pointing out various features of the house to Caroline and was facing away from the passing car. "How do you like it, Caroline, Darcy?"

Caroline said it was fine, and Darcy only nodded his approval.

Then Darcy turned back towards the car and could have sworn he recognized a familiar redhead. But the car sped off before he could get a second look.

Darcy shrugged and ignored it. Maybe he was tired form the flight. He would take a twenty-minute power nap before his conference call.

-/-

"I know something you don't know," said Lydia while her sister was recording her video for the day."

"Okay, tell me," said Lizzie.

"Okay so Mom paid me ten bucks to drive by Bing's on my way home from Marie's and he only brought back one girl. She's just his sister! Holla!"

"So you saw him? Is he actually cute?"

"I just saw the back of his head. He's like a ninja. But his sister was totally gorgeous so he's probably at least passable." Lydia looked her sister up and down, "Although sometimes good genes tend to skip a sibling," she teased.

Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Okay, time for you to leave."

"Wait! I'm not done. There was someone else. Another man."

Lizzie raised an eyebrow. "Wait, like frolicking in the meadows holding hands another man?"

"No. He brought a friend back with him. An incredibly hot, incredibly rich piece of mancake friend. I heard they went to school together."

Lizzie grinned. "It doesn't mean they weren't frolicking in meadows."

"Stop! They are too hot and single to be gay," cried Lydia.

"Well do you know this ambiguously sexually oriented mancake's name?"

Lydia smiled. "Darcy."

"What, is that his first name or his last name?"

"I don't know, I just heard Bing call him Darcy. I think he might have noticed me driving by."

"Oh gosh, Lydia, subtlety is not your strong suit."

"Oh who cares? It was worth it."

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Darcy is a terrible name."

"I think it's a great name," said Lydia "Isn't that Colin Firth's name in that movie that you like?" Then she walked off.

"I do love that move," admitted Lizzie to the camera. "But seriously. Darcy? It's like he's a dub step DJ."

-/-

Darcy woke up early Thursday morning for a bike ride through the neighborhood. He was so focused on his ride that he didn't see Lizzie Bennet walking in the opposite direction across the street.

Lizzie glanced over at him as she sped past and thought_ who goes on a bike ride at 6:00 in the morning. They must be crazy. I guess that they're just as crazy as someone who goes on a walk at 6:00 in the morning._

When Darcy returned to Netherfield a couple hours later he showered and then pulled out his laptop to check emails. He had received a new YouTube notification. Lizzie had uploaded another video.

At least he knew he hadn't been seeing things yesterday. He knew he had recognized Lydia as the driver of the car.

He couldn't help but feel bothered when Lizzie said she didn't like his name. It was ridiculous that he should be bothered by it, but he was nonetheless. _Who judged people by their name before even meeting someone? _

Then Darcy realized that he had done the same a few times before.

He closed YouTube when the video ended.

Later that afternoon he was working on his laptop while Caroline and Bing played cards.

"So Darcy, you are coming to the wedding right? Stuart invited you too."

"I don't know Bing. You know I am not fond of large gatherings."

"I know, but it will be fun, and we haven't seen Stuart in over a year. Please?"

"Yes, Darcy, come. I'll need someone to keep me company while Bing charms the entire neighborhood."

"Fine. I'll come," said Darcy. At least he would get to meet Lizzie Bennet. Though the thought of doing so made him inexplicably nervous.


	3. Chapter 3

William Darcy did not want to go to the Gibson Wedding.

He hated large gatherings, especially when he had never met many of the guests before. True, the wedding offered him a chance to meet the compelling Lizzie Bennet, but other than that the event had no other draw. If he was being honest with himself he would much rather wait to meet Lizzie then go to the wedding. Stuart, the groom, and he had never been particularly close. They had all met at Harvard. It was Stuart and Bing who were close.

Darcy told Bing this but Bing countered with the fact that it would be rude to decline the invitation on such short notice.

Caroline chimed in with, "Come on Darcy, I'll need someone to keep me company. If our first few days are any indication this wedding will be dull."

Darcy grudgingly agreed. Despite himself he dressed with care. He told himself he didn't have anyone to impress. In fact, he didn't want to draw attention to himself at all. Still, he assumed he came downstairs looking rather dapper if the way Caroline was looking at him was any indication. (Caroline staring at him was making him awfully uncomfortable.)

"You clean up good, Darcy," said Caroline with an appreciative smile.

"Thank you," said Darcy, as they all climbed into Bing's convertible.

-/-

"I wonder if that charming Mr. Lee has arrived yet," drawled Mrs. Bennet as they pulled up to the hall where the Gibson wedding reception was being held.

"I'd imagine we'll find out when we go inside," said Mr. Bennet, handing his car keys to the hired valet.

"We must make sure that he is introduced to our girls as soon as possible. He very may well fall in love with them."

"Of course, my dear," said Mr. Bennet, while Lizzie rolled her eyes.

Lydia ran to join some of her friends by the bar. Lizzie and Jane hung back scanning the room for Charlotte Lu. Charlotte came up to them a few minutes later. "Hey guys, you look nice," she said.

Jane smiled. "You too, Charlotte."

"So, has the mysterious Bing Lee arrived yet?" asked Lizzie, "Mom's already freaking out."

"Not yet," said Charlotte. "Your mom tolled my dad to get her as soon as he arrives."

"Your dad has already met him?" asked Jane.

"Yes. At the grocery store. Bing was buying a bunch of organic groceries for his sister and best friend. I think they're coming to the wedding too. Will get to meet the incredibly rich, incredibly hot piece of mancake friend," quipped Charlotte.

"Oh joy," grumbled Lizzie.

"You'll be nice, won't you, Lizzie?" said Jane. "They're new in town."

"I'm always nice," said Lizzie.

"Sure," said Charlotte, "Oh look, I think they're here."

Lizzie and Jane turned to see two handsome men and one beautiful young woman come through the door.

Lizzie's heart skipped a beat when she caught the eyes of the taller of the two men. She quickly looked away feeling inexplicably flustered. Lydia was right; Bing Lee's friend was incredibly good looking.

Mrs. Bennet swooped down on them before they could even make their way to the bar and summoned her daughters over.

Mr. Bennet was shaking Bing Lee's hand. "It's nice to see you again, son," he said.

Mrs. Bennet took Jane's hand and pulled her to her side. "Mr. Lee, I would like you to meet my eldest daughter Jane, and this is my middle daughter Lizzie and her friend Charlotte Lu. My youngest daughter is already dancing."

Bing smiled at each of them in turn before turning his attention back to Jane, by whom he was clearly captivated. Lizzie grinned. Everyone fell in love with Jane.

"It's so nice to meet you. Welcome to the neighborhood" said Jane sweetly.

"Thank you," said Bing, "This is my sister Caroline, and my oldest friend William Darcy."

Caroline offered forced smiles and greetings, and Darcy just nodded stiffly.

"How charming," said Mrs. Bennet, turning her attention back to Bing Lee.

Lizzie couldn't help but laugh at the pained expressions on both Caroline and Darcy's faces. They were clearly more pleased with themselves than they were with any of the other guests. Darcy was now staring at his shoes while Caroline had excused herself and wandered over to the bar.

Jane was asking Jane to join him on the dance floor and they shortly walked off together. Lizzie smiled in spite of herself. If their first meeting was any indication, something might come of her mother's insane machinations.

Lizzie was about to wander off when Charlotte nudged her. Lizzie raised and eyebrow and Charlotte glanced in Darcy's direction.

His gaze had shifted from his shoes to Lizzie. Lizzie flushed under his scrutiny. She turned towards him. "So, William was it?" she asked.

"Darcy," he corrected abruptly. "People call me Darcy."

"Okay, Darcy," said Lizzie, "do you like it here in town?"

"I haven't seen much of the town," he said.

"Oh," said Lizzie. His reply left no room for conversation. This was extremely awkward. "Do you know Stuart?"

"Yes," was all he said.

"How?"

"School."

Lizzie sighed. This man was giving her nothing to work with. She shot a 'save me' glance at Charlotte, who came to the rescue by asking if Lizzie wanted to go to the bar.

"Well, maybe I'll talk to you later," offered Lizzie.

"Okay," was all Darcy said in response before turning away and heading to the corner of the reception hall.

"Well that was awkward," said Lizzie. "He's not very friendly, is he?"

"Maybe he's shy," said Charlotte.

"Oh please. No one is that shy," said Lizzie.

-/-

_Idiot._

That was all Darcy could think at the moment. He had never done well with meeting new people and he could tell that Lizzie Bennet was not impressed by him. He had lost his faculty for words, but even more than usual. She made him nervous. How was it that a woman he had just met briefly could have such an affect on him? Was this how it had been for his father? Somehow he doubted it. His father had been more of a people person.

Caroline wandered over to him with two martinis in hand. "I thought you might need this," she said offering him a glass.

"Thank you. Why is everyone looking at me?"

"Must be because you're so handsome. Or maybe it's because you're standing in the corner not talking to anyone," said Caroline. "Not that any of these people are worth talking to."

"We should keep an eye on your brother. It seems that he is already enamored with that Jane Bennet."

"Yes. She's decent enough, I suppose, but I heard her mother talking earlier about how eager she is to marry her daughters off to rich single men. We better be careful. They have been dancing together since we got here. Oh look, they're finally taking a break." Jane and Bing were heading towards the bar to meet up with Charlotte and Lizzie.

Suddenly Darcy received a twitter notification and then a text message. The tweet was from Bing.

_Put your phone down and go dance with somebody._

The text message was also from Bing.

_I bet Jane's sister would dance with you. She's really pretty._

Darcy tapped out a quick reply on twitter. Across the hall Bing looked at his phone and shook his head.

-/-

The time came to throw the bouquet and toss the garter. Lizzie, Charlotte and Jane gathered in the back of the mob of single women trying to catch the bouquet.

Lizzie groaned when it flew towards her. She caught it just so she could avoid getting smacked in the face. Over in the corner her mother shrieked, "This is the happiest day of my life!" Lizzie would bet all the money in her wallet that her mother had paid Ellen to throw the bouquet at her.

Next was the garter toss. Ellen sat on a chair in the center of the room while Stuart slid the garter off of his new bride's leg.

The garter sailed through the air before hitting William Darcy square in the chest.

"Will Lizzie Bennet and William Darcy please come to the dance floor," said Ellen into the microphone.

Lizzie took a deep breath and ignored Lydia's obnoxious laughter. Lizzie wondered how much her suffering was worth to her mother. Lizzie sighed as a slow tempo song began to play.

"So, we meet again," said Lizzie.

"So it would seem," said Darcy offering his hand.

Lizzie took it and a shock of sensation jolted through her body. _What the hell was that?_ She thought.

Darcy wasn't a very good dancer, apparently, and Lizzie couldn't help but compare him to a statue.

Lizzie, being the lady, tried to follow his lead. But it was more like swaying to his sway.

"So, do you enjoy dancing?" asked Lizzie.

"Not especially," said Darcy.

"I can't imagine why."

Darcy's eyebrows nearly slid up to his airline. Was she teasing him?

Lizzie smirked. Finally she had gotten some kind of reaction out to William Darcy. She couldn't help but feel a little proud. He's seemed like a robot then she met him before.

Then something strange happened. Lizzie felt some of the tension leave Darcy's shoulders. Was he actually loosening up? It appeared so, no matter how infinitesimally.

The song ended a few minutes later. "Thank you for the dance, Lizzie," said Darcy as they walked off the floor.

"Sure," she said.

Then, without another word Darcy returned to his corner.

Lizzie stared after him for a few minutes feeling jilted. Maybe Darcy was a snob after all.

Determined to forget about it, Lizzie joined Charlotte back at the bar.

Towards the end of the night, Lizzie and Charlotte went out to get some fresh air. They heard Bing and Darcy talking.

Lizzie put her finger to her lips and pulled Charlotte behind the post.

"Why are you leaving, Darcy? Aren't you having fun?" asked Bing.

"Not really," he replied.

"How was dancing with Lizzie. She's pretty and really nice."

"She's decent enough—well, she's very pretty. I just don't care for dancing. I've had a long week and I would prefer to just leave. I can pick you and Caroline up later. Go back to Jane Bennet and text me when you want me to pick you up.

"Fine. I'll see you later tonight."

Lizzie and Charlotte snuck back into the hall before Bing could see them.

Charlotte looked at her best friend. "So, it looks like you made an impression on William Darcy. I think he liked you."

"Oh please," said Lizzie. He just said that so he could leave. He didn't like me and I can't say that I'm inclined to spend more time with him."

"Sure, Lizzie, whatever you say."

Lizzie rolled her eyes. Charlotte was imagining things.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I decided to break this chapter up. I think I'll be posting the second half later today, but we'll see. Thank you for all the comments so far. They have been lovely. **

"Bing, or Bingy as I like to call him stole my heart. We danced together almost all night," said Lizzie, imitation her sister.

Jane, of course countered with an impression of her own. "He is very handsome buy I would prefer to say something more mocking and bitter so I'll pretend I did that."

The costume theater quickly turned into a discussion of the future, and despite the fact that it was not meant to be serious it ended with Jane getting defensive and bringing up Darcy to distract her sister.

Lizzie quickly said, "And we're done," and blushed before turning off the camera.

-/-

Jane's prompting, however, did inspire Lizzie to think about what she could say about William Darcy on her next video.

There was no denying that he had made a poor first impression, but meeting him hadn't been horrendous.

When they first met his behavior was verging on rude and arrogant. It seemed, when speaking with him, that anything she had to say was beneath his notice. Thank goodness Charlotte had rescued her.

Then of course they had caught the bouquet and garter and were forced to dance. The dance, while uncomfortable, was not the most awkward dance ever. However, it came close.

There was no denying it. Darcy was socially awkward and definitely a bit pompous. Was he worse than that though? Lizzie couldn't tell for sure.

After all, he had called her pretty. She had heard it herself. Then again he didn't seem particularly sincere. If she were being honest with herself, Lizzie would have to say that she could not form a clear picture of this man.

Lizzie Bennet hated things to be unclear because she believed herself to be extremely accurate when judging people. William Darcy eluded a clear and concise judgment though. Something about this was intriguing and Lizzie understood that she would actually need to spend more time with this man to begin to understand him, and it frustrated her to no end. She didn't want to spend more time with him. Perhaps she should just write him off as a pretentious snob, not make the effort and move on with her life. Yes, that seemed the best course.

Of course, that wasn't how it turned out.

Recording her next two videos was a strange experience.

She normally was a natural storyteller, whether she had all the facts or not. She began her sixth episode with a snarky comment about meeting Darcy, saying that he was stuffy, boring and rude. "My mother didn't even like him, despite the fact that he's handsome and rich. Even richer than Bing Lee apparently. My name is Lizzie Bennet and William Darcy is a snob."

Lizzie ignored the feeling that something wasn't quite right about her intro. Now was not the time to begin doubting herself. She hadn't been wrong yet.

Lizzie spent the next thirty seconds wondering aloud what he did with his life before calling in Lydia for Costume Theater. Whether it was true to life was up for debate.

Lizzie found herself putting words in Darcy's mouth. Things that he hadn't said aloud, but that she suspected he was thinking.

She ended the video feeling somewhat dishonest. But it was her video bog. Her perspective.

She couldn't be wrong, could she?

-/-

After Charlotte posted episode six, Lizzie saw several comments that suggested she had been too hard on Darcy and she began to realize that her viewers were correct. Well, she would set them straight by telling them the story of their first dance at the Gibson Wedding, which was, in truth, awkward, but not horrible. Lizzie hoped that telling this story would start to clear up her own confusion when it came to William Darcy. She hadn't seen him since the wedding and a miniscule part of her was disappointed.

Lizzie pushed that feeling aside as she recorded episode seven.

"My name is Lizzie Bennet and this is the story of the most awkward dance ever," she said after her tirade against the tradition and before the title card.

"Okay, I guess it wasn't the most awkward dance ever, but it was pretty darn close. But before I get to that Let me just tell you about my mother."

Here she did a costume theater reenactment portraying her mother's excitement about Jane and Bing Lee.

"Up until then I was okay, not totally thrilled but okay."

A contemplative expression came over Lizzie's features as she tried to think of a way to tell this story that wasn't completely unfair. It didn't go so well.

"So, Darcy and I had talked right when he arrived. By talked I mean that I asked him questions and he answered in monosyllables. Luckily Charlotte saved me. I didn't think I would talk to him again that night but then I caught the bouquet. I'm pretty sure that my mom paid Ellen Gibson to throw the bouquet at me, and then Darcy caught the garter. So there we were forcing smiles. Dancing with Darcy was like dancing with a statue. He barely said anything. At least I managed to get more than monosyllables out of him."

Lizzie smiled fleetingly. "He actually reacted when I teased him about his lack of dancing skills. I might have imagined it but he almost started to loosen up. Still, the dance was super awkward and I was glad when it was over. I didn't talk to him the rest of the night, but then Charlotte and I heard him talking with Bing just before he left."

Lizzie donned the Newsie cap and the red bowtie. "Go back to Jane and stop wasting your time with me. I'm leaving anyway."

Then she put on the doctor's mirror. "Why don't you dance with Lizzie again? She's very nice."

"I'll admit she is very pretty," said Lizzie as Darcy, stumbling on the words a bit. "But I'm not having fun. I'll pick you and Caroline up later. Just text when you want to head back."

Lizzie took off the cap and bowtie. "So, I guess William Darcy isn't as bad as I portrayed him in my last video, but he's still socially awkward and stuck up. It's safe to say that I don't like him very much, and I don't think he likes me very much either."

She turned off the camera and tried to silence the voice in her head. _He said you were very pretty._


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Woah, two chapters in one day! Poor Darcy. I feel so sorry for him. **

William Darcy missed Lizzie Bennet.

Yes, Darcy realized that the sentiment was ridiculous. How could you miss someone you barely knew? Yet, he did.

Luckily he had her videos.

It felt voyeuristic to watch Lizzie's videos without her knowing that he was watching them. However, he had just met her. He couldn't just tell her that he was watching her videos. She would think that he was some kind of creep. Darcy shuddered at the thought of Lizzie thinking badly of him.

Which is why he was unhappy with her next three videos. Actually, they produced mixed feelings within him. In part he was angry with her for talking about him on the Internet to thousands of strangers, especially when most of what she was saying was untrue or exaggerated. The other part of him was glad that she at least didn't hate him.

After a week of teleconferencing and filing reports, Darcy sat down to watch episodes five, six and seven.

After episode five, Darcy knew that he would have to keep a close watch on his friend. Jane Bennet seemed genuine enough but he couldn't be sure. Darcy already had surmised that Bing was enamored with the eldest Bennet, but he fell in and out of love so much that the likelihood of this becoming a permanent attraction was not high. Yes. He would keep a close eye on those two.

Of course Lizzie blushing at the mention of his name was not lost on him, even through a computer screen.

Darcy's heart fell at the title of episode six, "Snobby Mr. Douchey". It was obviously going to be about him and if the title was any indication it was going to hurt.

He took a deep breath before pressing play. The first thirty seconds of the video were like a slap in the face. Then the little intro song played. Darcy paused the video unsure if he should continue watching. Why did it hurt so much that she was insulting him on the Internet? Why should he care what a small town girl thought about him?

Darcy resumed the video only to harrumph when she implied that he owned $5,000 boxers. He wasn't sure there was such a thing. The costume theater hurt the most. He had never said anything remotely close to what Lizzie said. Or if he did, he hadn't meant it the way she took it.

As the video ended he almost closed his laptop. Maybe he should stop watching these videos. Maybe he should just write Lizzie off as a prejudiced, impertinent woman and move on with his life. It wouldn't be that hard.

Of course, that isn't what he did.

Episode seven was called "The Most Awkward Dance Ever". Darcy hoped this video wouldn't hurt as much as the previous one.

Well at least the intro wasn't as bad as the previous one.

"Okay, I guess it wasn't the most awkward dance ever, but it was pretty darn close."

He glazed over Lizzie's accurate representation of her mother.

"So, Darcy and I had talked right when he arrived. By talked I mean that I asked him questions and he answered in monosyllables. Luckily Charlotte saved me. I didn't think I would talk to him again that night but then I caught the bouquet. I'm pretty sure that my mom paid Ellen Gibson to throw the bouquet at me, and then Darcy caught the garter. So there we were forcing smiles. Dancing with Darcy was like dancing with a statue. He barely said anything. At least I managed to get more than monosyllables out of him."

Darcy smiled despite himself. Now woman had ever teased him before. He wouldn't have tolerated it, but with Lizzie, it almost seemed okay.

"He actually reacted when I teased him about his lack of dancing skills. I might have imagined it but he almost started to loosen up. Still, the dance was super awkward and I was glad when it was over. I didn't talk to him the rest of the night, but then Charlotte and I heard him talking with Bing just before he left."

Darcy gulped. He remembered the exchange.

At least this Costume Theater was more true to life, and did he imagine it? Had Lizzie blushed while she played him saying that she was pretty? Probably.

"So, I guess William Darcy isn't as bad as I portrayed him in my last video, but he's still socially awkward and stuck up. It's safe to say that I don't like him very much, and I don't think he likes me very much either."

_Well at least she doesn't hate me, _thought Darcy.

Still, she didn't like him that much, and she thought his feelings were mutual. Well, to be fair Darcy didn't know what his feelings were. It was much too soon. Even if he had at the time, he wouldn't have been able to express him. Lizzie made him too nervous.

How was it that a few brief moments with a woman he barely knew had such an affect on him? Was this how his father had felt about his mother?

Darcy shut his laptop down. He rarely turned to food for comfort, and even more rare still did he turn to ice cream. After his parents died he had eaten pint after pint of Rocky Road Ice Cream. This hurt was nowhere near to what he felt after losing his parents but it was enough to make him want sugar. Darcy wandered over to the freezer. Bing had vanilla and butterscotch. Well this wouldn't do.

Darcy grabbed the keys to his rental car and set off for the local grocery store.

-/-

Why was it always her that had to get Lydia's hangover food? It's not that Lizzie minded helping out her sister, but she had to do it so often. It was one of the many hazards of having a party girl for a baby sister.

Lizzie grabbed a few boxes of mac n' cheese, some aspirin, and one huge bottle of Lydia's favorite carbonated water. It was peach flavored.

Then she wandered over to the ice cream aisle. She needed cookies n' cream.

She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of William Darcy at the end of the aisle, reaching into the freezer for a pint of ice cream.

She was going to turn away and head to checkout. She didn't need ice cream did she? However, her feet seemed as if they were rooted to the floor. Before she realized what was happening Darcy had turned towards her, seen her and was now quickly approaching her.

"Hello Lizzie," he said stiffly.

He was wearing a dress shirt and slacks complete with suspenders and bowtie. Lizzie smirked. Was he always this formal? "Hi Darcy," she said softly, "what brings you here?"

She was feeling a little bit embarrassed due to the fact that she had just posted a video today in which she called him a stone statue. But he didn't know about the videos. She didn't have to worry.

"Ice cream," said Darcy, holding up the carton.

"Rocky road isn't organic," observed Lizzie.

"No. But I had a long week," he said.

"I see," said Lizzie, turning towards the freezer to get her ice cream.

Lizzie turned back to face him and found him staring at her intently. She felt her cheeks growing warm.

"So, um, what did you do today," she stammered.

"Financial reports," said Darcy.

"Sounds fun," said Lizzie sarcastically. "Do you ever do anything but work?" Lizzie could hardly believe she was having a casual conversation with William Darcy at the grocery store.

"Yes, actually," said Darcy, looking decidedly nervous. He was silent for a long moment as if searching for the correct words. At length he said, "I was watching some video earlier."

"Anything interesting?"

"A young woman I met recently just started a video blog," he said. "I was watching her videos."

An expression of horror took over Lizzie's expressions and she stood there gawking at him like he was an alien or a monster from her closet. "Mine?"

"Yes," said Darcy, who was now looking at his shoes. He shouldn't have said anything. He hadn't been planning on saying anything, but it just came out. He was only making things worse.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that anyone knew about them. They are just silly little videos."

Darcy said nothing.

Lizzie rocked back on her heels. No wonder he was uncomfortable if he had just seen her videos since the wedding. He must think that she was an idiot, and mean, and judgmental. She knew it shouldn't bother her if he thought poorly of her, but it did.

She wished he would say something. Anything.

Actually, it was her who should say something. She knew that she should offer up an apology. She had said awful things about him to hundreds of people.

"I should get going," said Darcy finally. "Have a good night, Lizzie."

He turned to go.

Lizzie watched him walk away and felt like the worst person in the world.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow, I'm on fire. This story is just taking a life of its own. It's going to be a long and wild ride. I'm thinking I'll probably go through the end of the series but we'll see how it goes. Thank you for all the lovely reviews and support. Keep it coming. You all are amazing.**

It took about a minute before Lizzie dropped her basket and hurried out of the grocery store only to see Darcy drive off in his rental car.

Lizzie sighed and went back to purchase her groceries. She would have to apologize at some point.

-/-

Would you rather she was trying to get you two together," asked Charlotte pointedly, when she and Lizzie were filming episode eight a couple days later.

By then Lizzie had told Charlotte about their grocery store encounter and about how guilty she felt. After all, if she had known he was watching them she would have never said all those things about him in her videos.

"Because I could tell her that Bing was telling Mrs. Gibson how painfully shy Darcy is and how glad he is that she invited him because Darcy has been here for weeks and this is the first time he's met anyone."

"He said that?" asked Lizzie.

"Yes," said Charlotte, "He did, and I think the first person he met made an impression."

Lizzie stared at her best friend for a moment before turning off the camera.

"Charlotte, what was that about? I don't think we should be talking about Darcy on the videos."

"I said nothing bad," said Charlotte. "Besides you needed to apologize for what you said."

Lizzie nodded. Her intro had been, "My name is Lizzie Bennet and sometimes I say things that I shouldn't, and I'm sorry."

Of course then Lizzie tried to change the subject back to Jane and Bing, but that didn't work for long, because Charlotte just had to bring Darcy up.

Now that Lizzie knew that he had watched her first few videos and may continue watching them Lizzie figured that she would have to start watching what she said, about him anyway. Charlotte was right though. Lizzie hated changing her mind. She hadn't seen Darcy since the grocery store and every time she went out a part of her wished that they would run in to each other.

Charlotte told her that she should just go to Netherfield and try to see him. Lizzie rejected the idea immediately. "I can't do that. How would that look? I'm sure that the Lees are aware of my mother's crazy machinations. She was quite vocal at the wedding."

"What's your point?"

"Well, If I were to just show up at Netherfield wouldn't that just seem bizarre I mean it's not like I'm friends with Darcy or Bing or Caroline. We live in a small town. People talk and everyone know that my mother is infamous for her convoluted plans."

"Just go and see him. Get it over with. Besides, he could probably use a friend."

"What do you mean," asked Lizzie.

"You are the only person in town that he's talked to. He likes you. Maybe you guys could be friends."

Lizzie snorted. "As if I could be friends with William Darcy."

"You never know. You might like him if you get to know him," said Charlotte.

"Oh please," said Lizzie, rolling her eyes.

"Well regardless. You still owe him an apology, and since Jane and Bing are likely to start seeing each other we will probably have to be around Darcy sometimes. You don't want this hanging between the two of you."

"I guess," grumbled Lizzie.

-/-

Lizzie felt ridiculous, standing in front of Netherfield.

She didn't even know if Darcy was here. She didn't even know if he would want to see her.

_Come on Bennet, get it together!_

Lizzie took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

A moment later Bing Lee answered it. "Oh hey Lizzie, what can I do for you?"

Was Lizzie imagining things, or did Bing seem disappointed that she wasn't Jane.

"Um, I was actually looking for Darcy. Is he here?"

Bing look surprised but invited her into the house. "He just finished a conference call," said Bing, "he should be in the kitchen. So how is your family?"

"They're great. Things have calmed down since the wedding."

"Oh yeah. I had a really great time at the wedding. Everyone has been really nice."

"Yeah. It's a friendly place," said Lizzie. "I'm glad you like it here."

When they got to the kitchen they saw Darcy at the table drinking a cup of coffee. Lizzie almost jumped back in surprise when she saw that he was wearing glasses. Freaking hipster glasses!

"Hey Darcy, you have a visitor," said Bing.

Darcy looked up from his computer screen and flushed slightly when he saw Lizzie. "Oh, hello Lizzie."

"Hey Darcy," she said.

"I'm going to go meet Caroline for lunch," said Bing, oblivious to the tension in the air. "I hope you guys don't mind."

"It's fine," said Lizzie and Darcy at the same time.

Bing looked at his best friend and then at Lizzie and then back again. He seemed as if he was about to say something but then thought better of it. "Okay, I'll see you two later." With that Bing grabbed the keys to his convertible and left the kitchen.

They were silent for several long moments. Lizzie finally sat across from him at the table.

"Would you like some coffee?" asked Darcy.

"Sure," said Lizzie.

"He got up and went to the other side of the kitchen to pour the coffee.

Lizzie sipped her coffee in contemplative silence.

"So," said Darcy, "you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Yes, you left the grocery store so quickly. We didn't really have a chance to talk."

"I wasn't in the mood for talking," said Darcy. "I'm sorry I left so suddenly."

"You shouldn't be apologizing. I'm the one who screwed up. I said all those things about you on my videos. I shouldn't have. I never would have done so if I had known you were watching them. How long have you been watching them anyway?'

"I saw the first one the day you posted it," said Darcy. "Then Bing called me and asked me to stay with him this summer."

"That's a strange coincidence," said Lizzie.

"It is," was all Darcy said.

"Funny how things work out," said Lizzie, "but I am very sorry for what I said. It was unfair."

"It's fine. I don't care about that," said Darcy, deadpan.

He didn't sound sincere, but maybe that was just how Darcy sounded. Lizzie wasn't sure. "You don't?"

"No. I don't blame you for thinking poorly of me. I don't make the best first impression. I am constantly giving offence to people without meaning to do so."

"We're all guilty of that," said Lizzie.

"Well, I'm more guilty of it than most," said Darcy dryly.

"Did you just make a joke?"

"Perhaps," said Darcy.

"So you accept my apology?" asked Lizzie.

"Of course," he said.

"Good, and I promise I won't talk about you on my videos anymore. Or at the very least, I won't say anything bad."

"Thank you for your consideration," said Darcy.

Lizzie grinned. "No problem. You know, you're not so bad, Darcy."

"You're not so bad yourself, Lizzie Bennet."

"Oh please, you never thought I was bad," Lizzie teased.

Darcy said nothing, and Lizzie realized that what she said was totally inappropriate. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way."

"No, you're right. I thought you were very pretty."

Lizzie couldn't tell if he was teasing or not. She looked at her shoes. "Okay, well, um, I should get going. I just wanted to apologize."

They stood up simultaneously. "Lizzie, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"Yeah, sure. I have to go now. I should get back to studying. Maybe I'll see you around."

"Okay."

"Bye, Darcy." Lizzie hurried out of the house feeling utterly embarrassed. She was glad to have the apology off of her chest, but now things between her and Darcy would be ten times as awkward.


	7. Chapter 7

"My name is Lizzie Bennet, I am single, and that is perfectly okay."

Lizzie spent episode nine talking about how she doesn't need a husband or a boyfriend to be happy. All the while her mind kept flitting back to how William Darcy said she was very pretty. Then she would hastily push the thought away and continue with her video. It was distracting. Lizzie wished that she could just stop thinking about him. It's not as if they were friends or anything.

-/-

A couple of days later Lizzie had a plan to boost her viewership by showing pictures of cats and chinchillas, but then Jane interrupted with some news.

"Bing sent me flowers at the office," said Jane with a glowing smile.

"Wow, he's smart enough to go around mom. I think I'm beginning to see why you like this guy."

"There was a note and he and Caroline invited us to visit them at his house."

"Us? Why do they want me to come? Is this some weird sister thing, because I didn't think Bing was like that."

Jane shook her head. "No Lizzie, it's not some weird sister thing. They want to see you."

"Is Darcy going to be there," Lizzie blurted out. She still hadn't told Jane about what had happened between her and Darcy. Jane had been so busy at work.

"I don't know," said Jane.

"Oh yes you do," said Lizzie.

"Fine, he'll be there. Why is that a problem?"

"It's not a problem exactly, but things are awkward between Darcy and I. I'm not sure I want to go."

"You have to go! Bing and Darcy have been friends for years. He can't be that unpleasant all of the time."

Lizzie knew her sister was right, but she still didn't want to go. "You're too nice," said Lizzie.

"No. You can't be too nice. Anyway, I'm sure Darcy was just having an off night at the wedding. You haven't seen him since; maybe he'll be better this time. Why don't you come to dinner and get to know him."

Lizzie ignored Jane's gentle prodding about Darcy. She would fill her in later and Jane wouldn't guilt her into going. Or at least that's what she thought.

"Why do you even need me to go? It's not like you need a chaperone."

Jane was silent for a long moment.

"Wait, it's Lydia too! And mom!"

"I'm sorry Lizzie!"

A picture of a cat and chinchilla flashed across the screen before the video ended.

-/-

"Okay Lizzie, confess. I know there is something you're not telling me about why you don't want to go to dinner. And you can't just blame Lydia and mom. Is it about Darcy?"

"Yes," said Lizzie.

"Tell me."

"I saw him at the grocery store last Monday. He watches my videos, Jane. He's been watching them since the beginning. I said awful things about him in front of hundreds of people."

Jane bulled Lizzie into her arms. "Oh Lizzie I'm sorry."

"It's fine," said Lizzie evenly, "but that's not all."

"Really?"

"I went to Netherfield on Friday to see Darcy. Bing was there for a minute but then he went to lunch with Caroline and left us alone."

Jane looked riveted.

"I apologized and we had the most awkward conversation ever. I sounded like and idiot."

"Did he forgive you for what you said on the videos?" asked Jane.

"Yes. He forgave me. Then, he said I was very pretty to my face. I thought he was joking, but now I'm not so sure. It was just weird."

"Sounds like you made a good impression. It looks like he meant it when he said it to Bing at the wedding."

"I guess so. So, you're not going to make me go are you?"

"Please, Lizzie. You know how Lydia and mom are. Besides it wouldn't hurt to give Darcy a chance. You did judge him unfairly. Don't you owe it to him to make an effort?"

"I guess you're right," grumbled Lizzie, "about both things."

"Yay! Lizzie, I'm so glad, and look on the bright side, maybe we can talk Lydia and mom out of coming."

-/-

"Hello, Mr. Lee, you remember us from the wedding. We were so delighted to receive your invitation," said Mrs. Bennet when Bing answered the door.

"Oh, it's so nice of you and Lydia to drop off Jane and Lizzie," said Bing, "We will all have to get together some time."

"Oh yes, of course you and Caroline and your friend must come to dinner at our house. We'll pick a date later. Come on Lydia, we need to go to the grocery store. Thank you for inviting Jane and Lizzie. Have fun girls." Then she and Lydia hurried off to the car while Jane and Lizzie were invited into the house.

Charlotte was already there and she was in the living room with Darcy and Caroline nursing a glass of wine. Caroline was filing her nails looking as if she would rather be any other place in the world. Darcy actually stood up when they entered, and once again Lizzie had to suppress a laugh at how old fashioned he was.

"Can I offer you guys anything to drink," asked Bing? "We have it all."

"Just some white wine would be nice," said Jane.

"Me too," agreed Lizzie.

Charlotte looked at the empty space between her and Darcy on one of the couches and beckoned Lizzie over.

Lizzie flushed as she sat down. "Charlotte," she hissed.

Charlotte looked up at her innocently. "What is it, Lizzie," she said.

Darcy sat down as well. He had a glass of scotch in one hand and was intentionally focusing on it rather than looking at Lizzie.

Lizzie was grateful when Bing came back with the wine and some appetizers, which he set up on the huge coffee table. Then he sat next to Jane on the other sofa. Lizzie grinned, while Caroline looked appalled.

They spent the next forty-five minutes drinking and eating appetizers. Lizzie and Darcy didn't speak, but Lizzie could practically feel his eyes on her the majority of the time. It was like she was a traffic accident and he just couldn't look away.

Once again, Lizzie was grateful when they all sat down for dinner. Luckily Lizzie was beside Jane and Charlotte this time, while Darcy and Caroline sat across from them and Bing sat at the head of the table.

Dinner was good, but Lizzie was glad when the evening was coming to a close. The best thing about the dinner was that it was obvious that Bing was into Jane. He spent every free moment talking to her.

Lizzie Jane and Charlotte stood at in the foyer. "Well, thanks for inviting us, Bing, Caroline, Darcy. We had a wonderful time," said Jane.

"I'm glad," said Bing.

Lizzie and Charlotte decided to give Jane and Bing a bit of space and started to head out to the car. Caroline had bailed as soon as Jane finished speaking. Darcy, though, followed Lizzie and Charlotte out of the house. "Wait Lizzie," he said, sounding nervous.

"Yes," said Lizzie, turning to face him.

"Can we talk tomorrow, maybe over coffee?"

"Umm, sure. There is a Starbucks on Main Street. Does 1:00 work for you?"

"Of course," said Darcy. "Goodnight Lizzie, Charlotte."

When he was gone, Charlotte couldn't help but smirk. "Lizzie, Darcy just asked you out."

"What?" said Lizzie. "No he didn't. We're just going to talk."

"Right," said Charlotte, sounding unconvinced.

-/-

Lizzie pulled up in front of the Starbucks a few minutes early, ordered some tea, and got a table. This was going to be awkward.

If there was one thing she could say about Darcy with absolute certainty it was that Darcy was punctual. He arrived promptly at 1:00, suspenders and all.

Lizzie waved him over to the table after he ordered his coffee.

They were silent for several minutes before Lizzie plucked up the courage to speak. "So, you wanted to talk," said Lizzie.

"Yes. About your videos."

Lizzie flushed. "Really."

"I won't watch them anymore if you don't want me to. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"You can do whatever you want, Darcy. They're on the Internet and available to anyone. By the way, does Bing or Caroline know about them?"

"I don't think so," said Darcy. "I'm not sure if I should tell them."

"You can," said Lizzie, "If you want." She hoped he wouldn't considering that she had said some unflattering things about Bing. Not nearly as many as she had about Darcy, but still.

"I'll tell you what. I will only tell them if it becomes necessary. Deal?" He offered his had to her.

Lizzie smiled slightly and gripped his hand. "Deal," she said.

"Good. I am glad," said Darcy. "I don't want things to be awkward between us."

"You don't?" said Lizzie.

"No. I don't really know very many people here, and I don't want to alienate any potential friends."

"You want to be friends," said Lizzie.

"Only if you want to be," said Darcy.

"Um, okay. Sure. We can be friends." Then in a mad impulse she said, "Give me your phone."

"Why?"

"Just do it," said Lizzie. He handed it over and she programmed her number into the phone. She handed it back and said, "There. "

"What did you do?"

"I gave you my number. That's what friends do. Now I'm assuming you carry around a card with your contact info. Don't all business men carry cards?"

Darcy stared at her. Was she teasing him again? "I would imagine so," said Darcy.

"Well, hand one over," said Lizzie.

He withdrew one out of his wallet and gave it to her.

"William F. Darcy," read Lizzie aloud, "CEO of Pemberley Digital. San Francisco, CA. Nice."

They finished their coffee and went there separate ways.

As Lizzie drove home she thought about how bizarre it was that she was going to be friends with William Darcy.


	8. Chapter 8

**A?N: This is a transition chapter. Read and Review. You guys are amazing.**

"Okay, so dinner at Bing's turned out to be better than I thought it would be," said Lizzie. "I can now say with authority that Bing is totally into my sister."

Charlotte had come over shortly after Lizzie had returned home form coffee with Darcy to film the video for the next day.

"Okay, so I might have prejudged the guy, but he's actually a nice and sensitive guy. He might be good for Jane. Plus, he is one cool customer. Even my mom trying to weasel her way into a dinner invitation didn't faze him."

One accurate impression and anecdote about her mother's insanity later, Lizzie said, "I don't know how he did it, but he managed to get my mom to go to our house to have a good panic due over the fact that she had just invited him to dinner and he had accepted the invitation. It was amazing."

Lizzie grinned at the camera. "But even more amazing than that was the fact that Bing talked to Jane every chance he got. He totally likes her. Jane played it cool, of course, which is great. I mean they haven't even been on a real date yet. There is nothing worse than a girl who throws herself at a guy just because he shows the tiniest bit of interest."

Charlotte harrumphed from behind the camera.

"Something to share with the class, Charlotte?"

Charlotte came and sat on the stool beside her. "Two things. One, I think that Jane might have been playing it a little too cool. I think it's obvious that she really likes him, but I think you and I are the only ones who can see it. He might not put in the effort if she doesn't help him along."

"Well if he doesn't want to put in the effort, he's not worth her time," said Lizzie. "What's the second thing?"

"Darcy," said Charlotte.

Lizzie flushed and said, "Maybe next time," before turning off the camera.

-/-

"So, you guys are going to be friends?" asked Charlotte, clearly disappointed that Darcy hadn't asked her out.

"Yes. What did you think he was going to ask me?"

"Come on, Lizzie," said Charlotte.

"Oh gosh, Charlotte. We barely know each other. He wouldn't just ask me out."

"Oh please. He clearly likes you, and no offense, but you don't ask someone for coffee if you just want to be their friend. Having coffee is basically a pre-date."

"Well, if that's true than this was an exception," said Lizzie sarcastically. "Friends can totally have coffee together. It wasn't a big deal."

"You gave him you phone number, over coffee," said Charlotte, "sounds date-like to me."

"Well, it wasn't. Let's just drop this, okay?"

"Fine. For now anyway," said Charlotte.

-/-

"My name is Lizzie Bennet," and this is where Jane chimes in," said Lizzie.

The title card flashed and Darcy took another sip from his coffee mug. He had his headphones in because he was sitting across the table from Caroline.

I've asked Jane here today because I've been getting some comments that imply that I'm a bit biased in my portrayal of friends and family members. To that I say, of course I'm biased. It's my video blog, so, to be fair, asked Jane, the nicest person ever, to come and give her opinions."

Darcy wondered if Lizzie would talk about him. She had promised she wouldn't say anything bad about him on her videos, and she had kept that promise so far. However, she did not promise to refrain from talking about him altogether."

Darcy glazed through Lizzie talking about her parents and paid closer attention when they got to talking about his best friend. It was apparent to Charlotte and Lizzie that Jane liked Bing, so he had learned from the previous vide, but he was always a man to draw what he knew from his own conclusions.

"How about Bing Lee?" asked Lizzie.

Jane flushed, and stammered, "Well, you know I like him." Darcy frowned. That wasn't much to go on.

"How about Darcy?" said Jane.

Darcy took a deep breath as he waited for Lizzie's answer.

"He's kind of awkward, and he didn't make the best first impression, but he seems like an okay guy. How did I do, Jane?"

"Well, I would admit he's shy and a little prickly, but he's been Bing's friend for years and to me that says something good about him. He definitely improves after the first impression. I bet he will turn out to be a really nice guy."

"Ah, Jane Bennet, always the best in people."

"So you don't agree?" asked Jane, sounding surprised, "But what about—"

"I'm not disagreeing," Lizzie cut in. "He did improve after the first impression. I hope you're right about him."

Darcy sighed with relief. It wasn't perhaps the most flattering portrayal, but he couldn't deny its accuracy. At least Lizzie had agreed to be his friend.

He was grateful for Jane for putting her criticisms, not that there were many, diplomatically, and he appreciated her attempting to see the best in him because of his friendship with Bing. Darcy considered himself to be a man who would do anything to help the people he cared about, and he hoped for an opportunity to show that side of him to Lizzie.

A moment later, "Jane could be right about Caroline, I guess, but I don't think that she likes it here very much, and if she's being nice to Jane it's probably because she knows that she should like her because her brother does. At least that means she's smart. Besides, she always seems to be going off with Darcy. Maybe she's just into him. I don't know. We'll have to see about her."

Darcy paused and checked to make sure that Caroline's attention was still on her magazine. It was.

Darcy smiled despite himself. Lizzie was right about one thing concerning Caroline. Ever since Bing had introduced him to his sister, she had been dropping not so subtle hints about how similar and compatible they were. It made Darcy uncomfortable. Even now, sitting across the table from her while Bing was at the Grocery store was odd. She was always finding ways for them to be alone together even if it was only for a few minutes.

He resumed play. "Stay tuned for next week because Bing and Caroline are coming to dinner. I don't think Darcy is coming. He has plans apparently."

Darcy did have plans. He had a conference call. He didn't like that he was missing an opportunity to spend time with Lizzie, but Pemberley Digital had to come first. They were only friends after all, and Darcy was still a workaholic.

-/-

Darcy had just finished his conference call when his cell phone rang. It was Caroline. She sounded annoyed. "Darcy, you have to come meet us at Carter's Bar. Dinner at the Bennet's house was a disaster, and now we're all leaving to meet Lizzie's friend, what's-her-name at the bar. Bing hasn't paid attention to anyone but Jane the whole night and I need someone to save me from being alone with these people. Please say you are done with your work for the night."

"I am. Of course I'll come," said Darcy, glad that he would be able to see Lizzie after all.

Of course he didn't anticipate that Caroline would try to monopolize his time for the remainder of the evening.


	9. Chapter 9

Despite the fact that dinner was a disaster, Lizzie was confident that a night at Carter's would make Bing forget about it. They were all sitting at a booth in the corner of the bar. Bing sitting between Jane and Caroline while Lizzie and Charlotte were on the other side. Bing looked happy enough sitting next to Jane and drinking scotch, while Caroline looked miserable sipping her martini.

Maybe Caroline was always miserable. Lizzie didn't know. Also, Caroline kept glancing at the door, as if she was waiting for someone. That someone arrived fifteen minutes later in the form of William Darcy. Charlotte elbowed her in the side and said, "Here's your friend. Lizzie rolled her eyes at the emphasis that Charlotte had put on friend. Charlotte was imagining things if she thought that she and Darcy had a future.

Bing waved his friend over to the table. Charlotte giggled and Lizzie glared at her but then blushed when she realized why Charlotte laughed. The only open seat at the table was right next to her, which is where Darcy sat down two seconds later.

"Hello Lizzie," he said.

"Hi. I thought you had other plans."

"I had a conference call, but it finished earlier than I thought it would."

"So now you can cut loose on a week night," teased Lizzie.

"So it would seem," he said. He looked as if he was going to say something else, but the Caroline interrupted.

"Darcy, I'm so glad you could take a break from work to come here," enthused Caroline before beginning a string of questions, thus distracting him from Lizzie.

Lizzie couldn't explain why, but for some reason she didn't like that Darcy was paying attention to Caroline instead of her. Charlotte would call it jealous, but Lizzie didn't get jealous. Especially not because of William Darcy, who wasn't even her boyfriend.

"Woo hoo," they heard Lydia holler a few minutes later. Lydia had gotten on top of the table with two shot glasses in hand.

Jane and Lydia exchanged glances. Lizzie sighed. "I've got it. Duty calls."

Darcy stood up to let her out of the booth. Their hands brushed as she moved past him and she felt another jolt of sensation.

It took about ten minutes for Lizzie to convince Lydia that it was better to play Just Dance than dance on top of tables. Lydia pranced over to the video games with three guys and a couple of her girlfriends after downing another shot. When Lizzie came back to the table, Caroline had shifted to sit next to Darcy, leaving the seat beside Bing open.

Lizzie slid into the booth. "It's all taken care of," said Lizzie, "Oh, it looks like we're on empty. I can get us another round." She really didn't feel like sitting next to Bing while he was making googly-eyes at Jane.

"I'll help," said Darcy. "I was meaning to order something anyway."

Lizzie smiled when she saw how disappointed Caroline looked. She glanced over at Darcy. "So, you wanted to get away from Caroline?"

"How did you know?" asked Darcy.

"Just a guess. She seems to like you a lot, you know."

"So you said on your last video."

"You saw that? I'm surprised a CEO has time to keep up on YouTube videos."

"I don't work all the time," said Darcy, sounding slightly defensive.

"Sure. I totally believe you," said Lizzie.

"Caroline said that dinner didn't go vey well," said Darcy after they ordered the drinks.

"Well, she was right about that," said Lizzie. "My mother and Lydia were in fine form tonight, and Lydia still is. My sister can be very energetic."

"I know what it's like to have an energetic younger sister," said Darcy absently.

"Really?" said Lizzie, ""I didn't know you had a sister."

"Yes. My sister Gigi is about Lydia's age. She's very different from me. She is outgoing and enthusiastic."

"Wow. It looks like we have that in common. Although I will point out that no one loves to have a good time more than Lydia."

"Perhaps you're right," said Darcy, his gaze flickering over to Lydia. "But I sympathize. I've had to look after my sister for years, ever since—" He stopped talking and a painful expression came over his features.

"Since?" asked Lizzie.

"I don't really want to talk about it," was all he said.

"Okay. Maybe another time," said Lizzie. "Well, I don't think we can delay the inevitable any longer. Caroline might come looking for you."

-/-

An hour later they were all playing video games. Well, with the exception of Caroline and Darcy. Lydia was in the corner with a guy named David ostensibly playing whack-a- mole. Although Lizzie was sure that Carter's Bar hadn't seen an actual game of whack-a-mole since the 1980's.

Jane and Bing were playing Ms. Pacman and Charlotte was getting refill while Lizzie watched her older sister.

Caroline, of course was trying to keep Darcy distracted. She knew that Darcy liked Lizzie Bennet, and she couldn't understand why. What was so special about these Bennet sisters? Naturally, Caroline wanted to find a way to make Darcy disapprove of his little crush. "I don't understand why any adult with self respect would waste their time playing video games. It is so childish. This town is so depressing if this is what people do for fun."

"Well, Caroline," began Darcy before she cut him off.

"I can't imagine that you and my brother acre actually enjoying your stay here."

"It's not actually that terrible, but I suppose I can understand why you're unhappy," said Darcy.

"And the people in this town enjoying top 40 radio, laughter and nonorganic produce. It is so uncivilized."

"I disagree with you there," said Darcy, thinking of Lizzie. Of course, he glanced in her direction, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Caroline.

"Oh look, your little crush is standing over there," said Caroline, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Go get her."

"Okay, I will," said Darcy, glad for any excuse to get away from Caroline who had basically been attached to him since they arrived.

"Wait, I was kidding," said Caroline, but her efforts at keeping Darcy distracted had failed.

-/-

"Please, Charlotte?" asked Lizzie.

"No."

"I'll be your best friend."

"You are my best friend and I love you. However, there is no way I am playing Just Dance with you, not after you nearly broke my toe last time."

"Oh come on. You're dramatizing."

"No, Lizzie. You have two left feet. You're going to have to find someone else to dance with."

"Like who," said Lizzie.

Charlotte grinned and glanced over Lizzie's shoulder. "Oh look. Here comes Darcy. Hey Darcy, come over here. Lizzie has something she wants to ask you."

"Charlotte," hissed Lizzie, "I'm going to kill you."

Darcy was beside them a moment later. "You wanted something," he said stiffly.

"No, it's fine," said Lizzie.

"Actually Darcy, Lizzie is looking for a Just Dance partner. Are you up for the job?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to," said Lizzie quickly.

"No. It's fine. I'll dance with you."

"Great," said Charlotte, pushing the two of them towards the Just Dance game.

"You must not be sober," said Lizzie.

"What makes you say that?"

"You agreed to dance with me. You hate dancing."

"I do not have to be drunk to dance with you," said Darcy.

"Okay," said Lizzie, "but just so you know, we are going to be dancing to popular music, un-ironically."

"I think I can handle it," said Darcy dryly.

"We'll see," said Lizzie, grinning at him. She chose a Kesha song.

Halfway through the second chorus of "Tik Tok" Lizzie's arm flew out and smacked Darcy in the face, knocking him off balance. He fell to the floor. Lizzie, who had two left feet, lost her own balance a second later and fell right on top of him.

She heard Lydia laugh hysterically behind her. Lizzie realized that she was splayed across Darcy's chest, her face inches from his. She blushed profusely and got up. "I'm sorry Darcy," she said, holding out her hand to him.

"It's quite alright," he said as he took her hand and stood up.

"I bet you're rethinking your decision to play with me," teased Lizzie. "How is your nose?"

"It's fine, and I'm not," said Darcy. "Someone had to do it, and It's better that you didn't injure Charlotte or Jane."

"Are you calling me a bad dancer?" asked Lizzie, eyebrows raised.

"It would seem so," said Darcy with a small smile.

Lizzie had never seen him smile before and her stomach was suddenly in knots. She wished he wouldn't look at her like that. She supposed it was because of the alcohol that they had drunk.

"Lizzie, why don't you and your dance partner get a room," cried Lydia, "in a hospital."

"Lydia," scolded Lizzie. However, she was definitely embarrassed. Almost everyone at the bar had seen her fall, except Bing and Jane who couldn't spare any attention for anyone but each other. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," said Darcy. "Really."

"I think I want to go home," said Lizzie. She gestured for Charlotte to come over. "Charlotte, will you make sure Jane and Lydia get home safely."

"No problem, Lizzie. Are you going to take a cab?"

"Yeah."

"No."

Lizzie and Darcy spoke at the same time. "I'll give her a ride home. That way Jane and Lydia can have a way to get home."

"You don't have to," said Lizzie.

"I want to," he said. "Give Charlotte your keys, Lizzie."

"Fine. Here," said Lizzie. "I'll call you tomorrow so we can film the next episode."

"Okay. Take care of her, Darcy," said Charlotte with a grin.

"I will," he said, before putting a hand on Lizzie's shoulder and taking her out to his car. Of course, Darcy was the kind of guy to open the car door for a girl. Lizzie appreciated the gesture though.

The drive back was mostly silent, up until they pulled up to the front of the house. The alcohol had made Lizzie brave. She wanted to take a risk. "Thank you for the ride, Darcy."

"You're welcome," he said.

Lizzie leaned in closer to him, "and thank you for dancing with me."

"It was a pleasure," he said. His chin was retreating towards his neck. Lizzie was very close to him and he was extremely nervous because of her proximity.

" Goodnight Darcy," said Lizzie, so softly that he could barely hear her. Then, before he knew what was happening she was kissing him. It was a very brief and chaste kiss and Lizzie moved away quickly, said nothing, got out of the car and ran towards her front door.

Darcy only stared after her; amazed that Lizzie Bennet had kissed him.


	10. Chapter 10

"You kissed him?" asked Charlotte.

"I did," said Lizzie. "It wasn't a big deal. I was a bit buzzed after all."

"Oh please, you like him. Admit it. I know you couldn't admit it to your viewers on the video today, but come on."

"There is nothing to admit."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "It's good that Lydia practically hijacked today's video, because otherwise you would have spent it being in denial about your feelings."

"I don't have feelings for Darcy," said Lizzie. "Even if I did, he probably thinks he's too good for me."

"Oh please, Lizzie. Open your eyes. You're the only one he talks to besides Bing and Caroline when we are all together, he is always staring at you, and he told you to your face that he thought you were very pretty. How much more proof do you need that he's into you?"

"Charlotte, I don't even want to go there. It would be too weird."

"Why don't you just talk to him? Try having a real and honest conversation without the snarky and sarcastic comments."

"No. There's no point," said Lizzie.

-/-

"My name is Charlotte Lu and Lizzie Bennet is in denial. I brought Jane here with me so we could tell you what really happened last week at Carter's Bar. Sure Lizzie told you about Bing and Jane being adorable, Caroline being a bit rude, and Lydia being her usual self, but what she very conveniently left out was everything that happened between her and Darcy."

Jane looked uncomfortable during the entire intro, and after the title music played she and Charlotte were sitting side-by-side staring straight into the camera.

"Charlotte, are you sure we should be doing this? I don't think that Lizzie would like us talking about her and Darcy on the videos, especially since she has no knowledge that we're doing this."

"It's fine. Lizzie will thank us later. Anyway, let's get back to Darcy and Lizzie. Our lovely viewers are curious if the comments are any indication. Lizzie and Darcy left the bar together but before they did, here is what happened"

"Fine," said Jane, and she put on the Newsie cap and Bowtie as charlotte pulled on the plaid shirt.

"Darcy, you don't have to play Just Dance with me if you don't want to," said Charlotte as Lizzie.

"It's fine. I want to," said Jane as Darcy.

Charlotte dropped character and talked about how Lizzie smacked Darcy in the face and then fell on top of him. "Lizzie really does suck at video games," she quipped before moving back into character.

"I bet you regret your decision to dance with me now."

"No," sad Jane!Darcy, "Someone had to do it. I was happy to be that person. I wouldn't have wanted Charlotte or Jane to get injured."

"Are you teasing me, Darcy?" asked Charlotte!Lizzie.

"Yes, I believe I am."

Charlotte removed the plaid shirt. "Lizzie didn't really feel like staying after that so I had to make sure that Jane and Lydia got home safely. Lizzie was going to take a cab, but Darcy wouldn't let her. He drove her home instead. The next day, Lizzie told me about the ride home."

Charlotte handed Jane the plaid shirt and then put on a purple knit cap.

"You kissed him?" said Charlotte as herself.

"I did. It wasn't a big deal. It was a spontaneous decision."

"Spontaneous?" asked Charlotte, "I think you like him."

"No. It's not like that between me and Darcy."

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"No," said Jane as Lizzie.

"Are you going to?"

"No."

Charlotte and Jane took off their costumes. "How many of you lovely viewers think that Lizzie should at least talk to Darcy. Sound off in the comments below."

-/-

Lizzie couldn't believe that Charlotte made a video while she was gone, about Darcy nonetheless. Charlotte knew that Darcy watched them. Lizzie wondered if he had seen it yet. What would he think about it. Sure, none of what charlotte said about him was insulting but she had aired his personal business for the entire Internet to see..

As she was studying that day she kept a close watch on her phone, wondering if he would call or text her.

It was true that a watched phone never rings. She didn't hear from him all day and she felt really disappointed.

Luckily Lizzie had school to distract her from thinking about Darcy.

The next few days went by and Lizzie still hadn't heard from Darcy. Sure, they hadn't ever talked over the phone, but he had her number. Why didn't he use it? Maybe he hadn't seen the video. Maybe he was embarrassed. Maybe he didn't care about her. None of these possibilities had any appeal for her.

Of course there was an obvious solution to clear her confusion. She could be a modern woman and call him. No. She didn't want to do that either. Oh well, she would just have to wait until she saw Darcy in person.

-/-

Darcy had spent the past week in San Francisco for Pemberley's quarterly board meetings.

He returned to Netherfield Thursday afternoon to find the place empty. Bing and Caroline were out with Jane.

Darcy pulled out his laptop. Business at Pemberley Digital had prevented him from thinking about the last time he saw Lizzie too obsessively, during the day at least. Of course, his nights were another story. The sensation of Lizzie's lips against had haunted his dreams every single night that he spent in San Francisco. What was she thinking? Did she regret it? Would she be willing to go on a real date with him?

Of course, he could have called her. He had her number. He's almost done it several times over the past week. However, this wasn't something he wanted to do over the phone. He wanted to see her face while he talked to her about the kiss and what it meant to her. Normally, he would have watched her videos, but business had gotten in the way of that. Now that he was back, he could catch up on them and see if she had said anything about him.

He was disappointed to discover that Lizzie had conveniently avoided talking about him in episode 14. Then he was even more disappointed when he discovered that Lizzie wasn't even in episode 15. However, the title and the contents gave him hope. Then he scrolled down through the comments and saw many of them encouraging Lizzie to call him or talk to him. He always saw the word "shipping" being thrown about a lot. It was a strange comfort to know that Lizzie's viewers wanted them together.

Not knowing what to expect from her next video, he clicked play, and Lizzie's voice filled the room.

"It's nice to be back after Charlotte hijacked my video blog. I was swamped for the week and Charlotte knew that. It's not like I'm mad at her for doing what she did," here Lizzie stared into the camera, "but Charlotte, don't do it again."

The title card flashed on the screen.

"Okay, so confession time. Darcy watches these videos. Or he watches some of them. If you're watching this right now, I want to apologize if the last video offended you in any way. I had no control over it. I'm sorry."

There was a cut.

"Okay, so now that I've got that off my chest and everything is back to normal, let's go back to the video blogs."

Lizzie talked about how Charlotte was going to have a brilliant career. Charlotte came in about halfway through the video and the two had a discussion about happiness in life wasn't guaranteed.

Charlotte spoke last, saying, "There are too many variables. You can't predict happiness. However, there are some things that can help things along. Open communication is one of them."

Lizzie flushed and turned off the camera.

Darcy blinked as the video ended. Did Charlotte mean what he though she meant? He pulled out his phone and turned it on. There were no calls or text messages from Lizzie. Maybe he was reading too much into this. They had only known each other for a little over a month. That wasn't enough time for anything to happen. William Darcy had never been impetuous or impulsive and he didn't want things to be awkward between him and Lizzie. He cared too much about her, even after such a short amount of time. His feelings were terrifying.

Which is why it felt so absurd when he made his first spur of the moment decision in years. He found himself getting into his car and driving towards Lizzie's house. Charlotte was right about one thing at least. He and Lizzie needed to have an open and honest conversation. What happened after that conversation was completely up to them.

-/-

"Elizabeth, you have a visitor," called Mrs. Bennet from downstairs. She had been surprised, and a little bit disappointed, when she answered the door to discover that it was William Darcy instead of the charming Bing Lee. Still, she invited him in immediately when he informed her that he had come to see her middle daughter.

Now Darcy was standing in the Bennet's small foyer, nervously waiting to see Lizzie.

"Who is it? " called Lizzie from her bedroom.

"Mr. Lee's friend, William Darcy."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: This chapter kind of got away from me and turned out way differently than I expected. I hope you guys like it. **

What was Darcy doing at her house? Well, there was only one way to find out. Lizzie checked her appearance in the bathroom mirror before going downstairs. Her mother was probably grilling him about his love life. Lizzie was grateful that her mother didn't know about her videos.

Lizzie came downstairs to find Darcy looking extremely uncomfortable while Mrs. Bennet was yammering on about how wonderful Bing Lee was.

"Hey Darcy," said Lizzie. His expression immediately brightened when he saw her.

"Lizzie, you and your young man can talk in your father's study. He's still at his train expo and probably won't be back for a while"

"Thanks mom. And he's not my young man."

"Whatever you say, dear," said Mrs. Bennet breezily.

As soon as she was gone Lizzie turned to Darcy and said, "I'm sorry about her."

"It's fine," he said stiffly. "Should we go to the study?"

"Sure. Follow me. Can I get you anything to drink or eat. We don't have much but I might be able to find something."

"No, thank you."

Lizzie closed the door to the study and locked it to avoid being interrupted by her mother or Lydia. "So," said Lizzie, sitting down on her dad's desk chair, leaving Darcy to sit down on the sofa in the corner. "Long time no see."

"I had to go back to San Francisco this week for board meetings. I just got back this afternoon."

"Oh," said Lizzie, staring at the floor. She wondered who was going to be bold enough to bring up what had happened when they last saw each other.

Darcy stared at her for several long moments before saying, "I wanted to talk to you about what happened last week."

"Really?" asked Lizzie, trying to maintain an even tone.

"Yes, um, I think it would be, ah, prudent for us to talk about it and maybe decide what it, um, meant."

Lizzie had never seen Darcy more nervous than he was now. She plucked up the courage to meet his eyes and the heat of his gaze bore into her. She felt her cheeks heat up. This was one of those times when she hated that she was a ginger. "I think you're right," stammered Lizzie. "It would be good."

Lizzie was grateful for the desk that stood between them. She didn't think she could handle sitting beside him while they had this conversation.

"I should tell you that I just saw your last three videos today, before I came over here."

Lizzie averted her eyes. "What did you think of them?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "but you were very compelling as usual. You definitely have a talent for online video."

"I'm sorry if episode 15 embarrassed you. I didn't know that Charlotte was going to do that. I wasn't even going to mention it on the videos."

"It's fine," he said stiffly. "Lizzie, I feel that we need to be honest with one anther. That is the only way we are going to get anything resolved. I know that I am not the best advocate for open communication, but Charlotte was right when she said we needed to have an open and honest conversation."

"Charlotte is usually correct about these kinds of things," said Lizzie absently. "I was going to call you this week, but it didn't feel right. So I kept putting it off. I guess that's a good thing, seeing as you probably wouldn't have been able to answer it anyway because you were at work."

"I see," he said, taking a moment to find the correct words. "If you want to forget it ever happened, that is fine. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

Lizzie frowned. "No. I don't want to ignore it, or forget it happened."

"Oh, okay then," said Darcy, sounding relieved.

"Darcy," said Lizzie, after a long and awkward pause, "You know how Charlotte was right about open communication?"

"Yes," said Darcy, thrown off by her question.

"Was she right about anything else?"

Darcy looked flustered. "To what are you referring?"

"Well, ever since the wedding she has said several time that you, um, like me." Lizzie stared at nothing in particular for a long moment. "As more than a friend," she finally said, so softly that Darcy could barely hear her.

Darcy had to admit that Charlotte Lu was very perceptive. People had often told him that he wasn't an easy person to read, but Charlotte had drawn a very accurate conclusion of his feelings after one night. "What would you say if I told you she was correct?"

"I don't know," admitted Lizzie. "Are you saying that she is?"

"Yes," said Darcy.

Lizzie flushed. She couldn't believe that they were actually having this conversation in her father's study of all places.

"So the kiss didn't upset you?" said Lizzie, trying to keep her voice from quivering.

"Far from it," said Darcy softly.

"Okay. So where do we go from here?"

"That is completely up to you, Lizzie."

His statement hit her hard. Lizzie had never dated much. Sure, she had a couple high school sweethearts and she had dated one or two guys in college. None of these relationships had ever been serious. After graduating college she had made a decision not to date unless it was someone special. She didn't want to waste her time. So she hadn't dated since she started graduate school. She didn't want a man to distract her from her education. Now she was almost done and here was this intelligent, handsome man basically asking her to be his girlfriend. He even worked in her field. It almost seemed to good to be true.

She had always been very careful with her heart. She had never been a fan of casual dating. If she were to start dating Darcy it would mean taking a risk with her heart. Was he worth it? Somehow a feeling in her gut told her that he was. She couldn't help but fight the feeling that Darcy was something special, and even though they had only known him for two months, she felt an inexplicable bond with him. It was strange.

Lizzie's silence was killing Darcy. He was actually in physical pain as he was waiting for her to say something. Anything. After several moments of tension, he said, "Well, I'll just get going then. I'll see you later."

He stood do go and before he knew it, Lizzie was by his side. She put a hand on his shoulder. "Wait, Darcy, don't go." She took his hand and guided him back to the sofa, where she sat beside him.

"Even though I am getting a Masters Degree in Mass Communication, I do not always express myself well face to face. It's something that I'm going to work on."

"Okay," said Darcy, confused as to where she was going with this.

"Maybe I could start with you," she said quietly.

"Ah," he said.

"You should know that I don't do casual dating," said Lizzie. "I haven't ever been in a long-term relationship because none of the guys I dated stuck. There's a reason that I'm perpetually single." Lizzie could hardly believe she was saying all this to Darcy. It felt inappropriate. What was it about this man that allowed her to be vulnerable in a way that she had never been before? "There are very few people in the world whom I love, and even fewer of whom I think well. I don't like to waste my time when it comes to dating. Not anymore."

Darcy just stared at her for what seemed like hours, but was in reality only a minute. "Lizzie, I don't do casual either. Ever since I became the CEO of Pemberley Digital I haven't dated. My sister says I am the textbook definition of a workaholic and she had often implied that I am something akin to a monk."

Lizzie couldn't help it. She smiled at that remark. "So it sounds like we're trying to say the same thing here," said Lizzie. "Which is?"

"I am compelled to be frank, Lizzie," said Darcy, "I hope you will forgive me if I cross any lines."

"Go ahead," she said.

"I have had little interest in dating ever since I became a CEO. Like you, I do not like wasting my time. I have to tell you that even though I did not make a good first impression, from the very moment I met you I knew that you were someone special. I am in danger of being over come with my feelings. The discrepancies in our income and social status were not lost on me, but after spending just a single night in your company, they became irrelevant. I want you to know that I am careful with my heart, but that those who have it can depend on me wholly and completely."

Lizzie felt tears welling up in her eyes. No one, not even Jane or Charlotte had ever been this honest with her. She had only known the man two months. The trust he put in her was remarkable and terrifying all at the same time. On impulse she put her hand on his cheek, "William Darcy, what is it you are trying to say?"

"I want to be with you, Lizzie Bennet. I have never been impulsive but this feels right. I am not saying that we won't have our difficulties but I want to try this. I hope you do as well."

"I want to," said Lizzie. "I want to get to know the man you are beneath your stony and robotic façade."

Darcy smiled at her for the first time, and it took her breath away. Before she knew what was happening she was kissing him again. She flung her arms around his neck and he pulled her in close, so close that she was practically in his lap. The magnetic attraction that they'd had for each other from the first moments of their acquaintance multiplied in strength as their lips crushed against each other. Lizzie had never felt anything like it. One of her hands traveled up the contour of his neck and tangled itself into his hair.

Darcy's right hand was splayed against her waist, while his left traveled up the side of her body until it cradled the back of her head. He was so enthralled by her kiss and he longed to be as physically close to her as possible.

After several blissful moments they broke apart to come up for air. Lizzie's cheeks burned so brightly that they matched her hair. "Wow. It seems that open communication is really effective as far as we are concerned."

"Remind me to thank Charlotte," he said.

"So we're really going to do this?" asked Lizzie.

"Yes. If you want to."

"I do," said Lizzie.

"I'm glad," he replied, leaning in to kiss her briefly.

They were interrupted by his ringing cell phone. Darcy groaned as he checked the screen. "It's my personal assistant. I have to take this."

"That's fine," said Lizzie. "I'll just sit here quietly."

That was how Lizzie got her first glimpse of William Darcy, CEO of a multimillion-dollar Media company, and he was certainly a sight to behold. He spoke with a commanding voice, even though it was just his secretary. Yet, he wasn't condescending as so many other powerful businessmen were. Lizzie made a mental note to look up Pemberley Digital and see what his employees thought of him.

The call lasted fro a few minutes before he hung up. "Mrs. Reynolds just called to tell me she was faxing over new reports," he said. "I'm sorry for the interruption."

"That's okay. I already know that you're a workaholic. Open communication does the trick."

He smiled at her and she melted a little bit. The intensity of her feelings was starting to frighten her.

"Yes, it does, and if you don't mind me saying, it seems that you could be classified as a workaholic as well."

"I think that's an accurate descriptor," said Lizzie. "Grad school has been my life these last three years."

"Perhaps there is some truth to Bing saying that summer is the time for relaxation,"

"Luckily, my summer starts in a couple weeks," said Lizzie.

"Yes, luckily."

Then someone knocked on the door. "Lizzie, are you still in there? Your mother is wondering if Mr. Darcy would like to stay for dinner." called Mr. Bennet.

Lizzie stood up to open the door. "Hi dad," she said.

Mr. Bennet glanced at his daughter and then at Darcy and could only assume that they had been having a serious conversation, or judging from their flushed faces, maybe not so serious after all. "Hello Lizzie," he said, attempting to hide his smile. "You do have a young man in here. I thought your mother was teasing me. Hello, Darcy."

"Hello, sir," said Darcy, formally.

"So, would you like to stay for dinner, son?"

He glanced at Lizzie, who nodded. "Yes, thank you."

"Good, good," said Mr. Bennet, "I will go tell your mother, Lizzie, and I will leave you two to finish—whatever you were doing."

Lizzie blushed at her father's implication. "Well, should we go?" asked Lizzie.

"After you," he replied.

"Okay, then. It looks like we're doing this." Lizzie left the study and Darcy followed after her.

They both were surprised by how honest they had been with each other. Neither of them had ever really been in love, and while it was too soon to know what would come from this relationship, of one thing they were certain. The intensity of their feelings, after such a short amount of time, was both a terrifying and exhilarating prospect.


	12. Chapter 12

Her first dinner with Darcy, excluding the one at Bing's house, was with her parents. Only with her parents.

Jane was working late, and Lydia, since it was the night before the beginning of Swim Week was "pre-gaming" at Carter's Bar . Her words, not Lizzie's.

This left Lizzie in the awkward position of having to tell her mother about the inception of her relationship with William Darcy not thirty minutes afterwards. Sufficed to say, it was awkward.

"It's so nice that you came, Mr. Darcy, you helped us round off the table," said Mrs. Bennet, sounding insincere. She still didn't like Darcy, but Lizzie knew that would change as soon as she dropped the bomb.

Mr. Bennet was not helpful at all. Lizzie knew that he had come to the correct conclusion about her ad Darcy, while her mother remained oblivious. Mr. Bennet was content to watch his wife make Darcy uncomfortable.

Darcy, of course was sitting stiffly beside Lizzie. He shouldn't have agreed to come to dinner. He had only done it so that he could spend more time with Lizzie, but Mrs. Bennet's grating voice and probing questions was making him wonder if his decision had been worth it.

These negative tjoughts went away though, when Lizzie slipped her hand into his beneath the table. It was the first time she had initiated that sort of physical contact. He felt a slightest bit of tension leave his body.

"So, what were you two talkin' about so long for in the study?" asked Mrs. Bennet of Lizzie.

Mr. Bennet snickered behind his hand.

"Personal stuff, mom," said Lizzie.

Mrs. Bennet's brows shot up at Lizzie's words. "And what kind of personal stuff would that be, my dear girl?"

Lizzie looked at Darcy who was expressionless and then at Mr. Bennet who was obviously amused.

"I think Lizzie has something to tell you, my dear," offered Mr. Bennet, giving his middle daughter a look that said 'you might as well get it over with'.

Lizzie sighed and said to her mother, "William has asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes." She hesitated before saying Darcy's first name for the first time. She also hesitated before using the word 'girlfriend' and 'yes'.

Lizzie's words had a remarkable affect on Mrs. Bennet. She sat still for a full five minutes before she hugged Lizzie and began a hysteric bout of excitement that lasted until dinner was finished. Lizzie tried to ignore her mother while she enthused about her pathetic, perpetually single , middle daughter finally found herself an eligible young man but it proved to be a difficult task. Every time Lizzie would try to say something, Mrs. Bennet would interrupt her.

It was the longest forty-five minutes of her life.

When the plates were cleared, Darcy declined the invitation to stay for coffee, saying that he had an early conference call, which was the truth. Lizzie offered to walk him out.

"I'm sorry. Darcy," she said, as soon as they were alone. "I bet you're rethinking everything. Many guys have been scared of by my mother."

Darcy shook his head. "No, I'm not rethinking anything. Except for one thing"

"Which is?"

"You shouldn't call me Darcy."

"What do you mean?"

"You should call me 'William'."

"Everyone calls you Darcy., even Bing."

"Not my sister," he countered, "and not you."

Lizzie smiled. "Okay William. Well, I'm still sorry. At least you and Bing will be able to commiserate about what it's like to have my mother brag about having you two as future sons-in-law," she said teasingly.

"You think she'll do that with me as well?"

"Oh yes, definitely. I know my mother all too well."

Darcy sighed and put his hand on Lizzie's cheek. "Well, I guess it's part of the territory. Thank you for this chance, Lizzie Bennet." He kissed her briefly on the lips. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, William," she said, as she watched him head back to his car.

To say that tonight had been the most awkward dinner ever would be an understatement, but at least it had a nice ending.

-/-

"No way!" exclaimed Charlotte, when Lizzie called her the next day.

"Yes. Darcy- err, William- and I have started dating." Lizzie had to get used to saying his first name. It still felt strange, intimate even, and they ahd only been going out for less than twenty-four hours.

"I totally knew it," gloated Charlotte. "It was love at first sight for you two."

"He didn't say he loved me," argued Lizzie, "and I certainly don't love him."

"Fine. It was love at first sight for him. I'm glad you two were able to have an honest conversation. Now when we inevitably end up going out with Lydia for swim week you will definitely have a deterrent for any obnoxious swimmers."

"Oh, don't remind me about Swim Week," said Lizzie, "nothing is worse than Carter's during Swim Week. Besides, I don't think William would want to go. He's not really the bar type."

"Yeah, but he probably would go if you asked him."

"Maybe," said Lizzie.

"Do Lydia and Jane know yet?"

"No. They are both still asleep, but as soon as they wake up, I guarantee that my mother will tell them. You know how she is."

"Well, keep me posted, Lizzie," said Charlotte.

"Will do, I'll send you the footage on Sunday."

-/-

Lizzie spent the intro of episode 17 talking about Swim Week. Charlotte hand encouraged her to talk about Darcy. However, Lizzie wasn't sure if she wanted to go public about that yet. She wouldn't havesaid anything about her and Darcy at all, but then Lydia dropped by.

"Hey, Internet, my sister seems to be in one of her retarted phases." There was a beat. "Wait can I say retarded? It that insulting?"

"Yes. Don't say it."

"Oops, well, Lizzie is in one of her annoying perpetually single moods. I've spent the last two days partying with my friends and all the super hot swimmers that are here for Swim Week, and what has Lizzie been doing? Well, she's been cutting coupons for mom."

Lizzie rolled her eyes. Lydia was a master at ignoring their mother apparently, seeing as she had ignored Mrs. Bennet enthusing ver the fact that she only had one single daughter now instead of two. "Have you even been listening to mom?" said Lizzie.

"Oh you mean when she said you were dating that snobby Mr. Darcy? Oh please. I didn't believe that, even you, my nerdy older sister, have better taste than that. But don't worry. You can come to Carters with me and we can get you some hot aqua mancake action."

"I don't need hot aqua mancake action," said Lizzie.

"Clearly you do," said Lydia. "Come on, it will be super fun. You can borrow a top from me."

"No, thank you. I don't need to because what mom said is true." Here she turned to the camera, "All you lovely viewers should know that I am now dating William Darcy. Lydia would have known this if she took anything mom said seriously."

Lydia was shocked. Like Mrs. Bennet, she was not particularly fond of Mr. Darcy. Besides that, she liked teasing her sister for being perpetually single. However, her shock turned into excitement. After all, Lydia still had plenty to tease her sister about. She hugged her sister, "Wow, Lizzie, you managed to find a guy who may even be a bigger nerd than you. I mean come on, he's a freaking hipster. Well take him out and show him off. Charlotte can come too. We can make a night of it. I would invite Jane, but she's been spending every spare minute with super hot, super rich, Bing Lee."

"Lydia, I don't think it's a good idea," said Lizzie.

"Well, you're coming, and here's something extra special for you to wear," she held out a tiny black and pink striped top. "Even a square like Dary will appreciate this."

"No. Just, no."

Lizzie turned off the camera.

-/-

"Hey, William, are you busy tonight?" said Lizzie over the phone.

"No. Jane and Bing are going out tonight, and Caroline is getting together with an old friend in LA."

"Oh good. I wanted to ask you something."

"Okay," he said.

"You don't have to do this, but I am taking Lydia to Carter's Bar for swim week. My sister needs constant supervision when surrounded by swimmers. Charlotte was going to go, but she can't now. I was wondering if you would come with me."

"I don't know, Lizzie. Going out drinking is not something I particularly enjoy."

"I know. I just thought I would ask. We haven't really been out yet."

"I would prefer our first date not to be at a bar during swim week," said Darcy.

"Don't think of it as a first date then. Think of it as a favor to your girlfriend."

"Well, when you put it that ways, sure, I will come."

"Great. Why don't you come to the house at 7:00 and we'll go over together."

"Fine. I will see you then."

-/-

The bar was crowded with swimmers and William Darcy felt extremely uncomfortable. His only comfort was Lizzie standing beside him.

Lydia ran over to a croud of swimmers standing by the bar as soon as they arrived, while Lizzie and Darcy went over to a corner with the bar in sight so that they could keep an eye on Lydia.

"Thank you for coming," said Lizzie, "otherwise I would have spent the night ebing hit in by drunk swimmers."

"We wouldn't want that now, would we," said Darcy, who was already discomforted by the fact that several swimmers were leering at Lizzie despite the fact that he was right beside her.

Fortunately, Darcy being there was a deterrant for most of the swimmers during most of the night, with one notable exception.

They had been there for about an hour when someone came sauntering over to their table. "William Darcy," he drawled, "It's been a long time."

Lizzie felt Darcy stiffen as he looked up at the newcomer. "George Wickham," he practically growled.

Lizzie looked at William and then shifted her attention to the blonde stranger, who was, admittedly, very attractive.

"What brings you to this small town? I didn't think you ever left San Francisco, unless it was to go to LA."

"That is none of your concern, George," said Darcy severely.

George grinned and the turned to Lizzie. "And who is this, Darcy. I've never seen you out with a girl before. I was staring to think that you didn't swing that way."

Darcy's eyes narrowed.

"I'm Lizzie Bennet. I'm William's girlfriend." she said, hoping that the introduction would make him go away.

It had the opposite effect. "Girlfriend," said George, sounding incredulous. "I didn't know you had it in you. She's very pretty."

"Yes, she is. Now go away," snapped Darcy.

"Nah. I don't think I want to. I'd rather catch up with my oldest friend." To Lizzie he said, "We grew up together. We were best friends. I was even his sister's swim coach for a while before I got a coaching job at a university in LA. "

Lizzie said nothing. Instead she looked at Darcy who looked as if he was about to lose it. Lizzie put her hand in his, only for him to grip it so tightly that he nearly cut off her circulation. "William, we should probably go. My sister looks like she's had enough."

Darcy glanced at her, and his expression softened a bit. "Let's go, Lizzie," he said, pushing Wickham aside, but instead of going towards the bar he was leading her towards the exit.

"William, I can't really leave Lydia alone."

Darcy frowned. He understood the need to protect one's younger sister, but he didn't want to leave Lizzie in the same bar with George Wickham. "Of course not, but I don't want to leave you here alone to watch over Lydia."

"Who is that guy?"

"I don't want to talk about it here," said Darcy. "Let's just say that the last time we saw each other was one of the worst days of my life."

"Well, if that's how you feel you should go back to Netherfield," said Lizzie, sounding concerned. Lydia and I can take a cab home."

"Lizzie—"

"No, William, it's fine. You didn't want to be here tonight anyway. Go home and we can talk tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes," said Lizzie. "I'll call you tomorrow. Maybe we can even decide what our first date is going to be."

Darcy smiled despite the unpleasant situation. 'Thank you, Lizzie, Just be carful tonight."

"I will. Now get going," she kissed him on the cheek and headed towards the bar where Lydia was surrounded by a group of swimmers that now included George Wickham.

This was going to be a long and awful night.


	13. Chapter 13

"So Lizzie Bennet, where did your boyfriend go?" George Wickham went back to Lizzie an hour after Darcy left the bar. Lizzie had been standing in the corner hoping that no one would come up to her, and so far no one had. However, Wickham, proved to be a notable exception once again.

"None of your business," said Lizzie.

"Hmm, not very friendly are we," he said.

"Look, I don't know what happened between you and William, but you are going to leave him alone. And you're going to leave me alone too."

"Who would have guessed that William Darcy could inspires such loyalty," sneered Wickham, "well, you should know that your boyfriend is not the good guy he seems to be. He denied me the inheritance I was entitled to and then he made the girl I was in love with leave me. Think about that, Lizzie Bennet."

Lizzie felt bile rise up in her throat. She just wanted to get out of here. Lizzie went to the bar and grabbed her sister's arm. "We're going home now," she said.

"I'm not ready yet," whined Lydia.

"I don't care. You've had enough. We're going now."

-/-

"William, can I see you today? Do you have time?"

"I have a conference call until 2:00 but then I'm free. I would like to take you out tonight, Lizzie."

"Are you asking me out on a real date."

"Yes. We could have dinner at that little Italian place and then we could watch a movie at Netherfield. Bing is taking your sister out tonight after she's finished with work, and Caroline is still in LA."

"Sounds perfect."

"Great. I will pick you up at 6:00."

Lizzie hung up and fell backwards onto her bed. Try as she might, she could not forget what George Wickham had told her about Darcy. Was it true? No. It couldn't be. Lizzie decided she would just ask him what happened. He would tell her the truth.

-/-

It was 5:30 and Lizzie's stomach was in knots. In a half hour she would have her first official date with William Darcy. If someone had told her two months before that she would be on a date with a rich, handsome CEO she would have said they were insane.

"Lizzie, you look beautiful. so glad you decided to give Darcy a chance."

"Yeah, me too," said Lizzie. "Thank you for helping me pick out a dress."

"I was happy to do it. I'm so excited. Now we can double date."

"Oh yeah, Caroline will love that. Her two favorite people going out with small town girls."

"Oh, Lizzie. Caroline is super sweet. I think you'll really like her once you get to know her better."

"Maybe. All I'm saying is that once she finds out that Darcy and I are dating she is going to hate me."

"I'm sure that isn't true, Lizzie."

"We'll see when she gets back from LA."

Jane shook her head. "You'll tell me all about your date and last night at Carter's tomorrow, right?"

"Definitely. Will you help me with my video tomorrow?"

"Of course. I'm sorry I've been so busy lately."

"It's not your fault. I know how hard you work."

"Well now that our summer line is almost complete, things should slow down for a few weeks," said Jane.

"I hope so," said Lizzie.

"Elizabeth, your young man is here."

"I'll be right down, mom," called Lizzie. "Have a good night with Bing, Jane. I want details."

"Same goes for you," said Jane, giving her younger sister a hug.

-/-

Darcy's heart skipped a beat when he saw Lizzie coming down the stairs. It was cliché, but it was true all the same. She was wearing a dark blue sundress with a black cardigan and heels. Her heir was curled and swept to the side with a sparkly clip.

"Keep her out as late as you want, Mr. Darcy," said Mrs. Bennet as she sent them out of the house.

Darcy took Lizzie's hand in his. "You look beautiful," he said softly.

"You clean up pretty good yourself," said Lizzie.

Darcy smiled and opened the car door for her. When he got in the on the driver's side he leaned in and kissed Lizzie lightly on the lips. "I'm glad we're finally doing this, and I'm sorry I left you last night."

"You can explain later tonight, William. Let's enjoy our date first. Or at least we can try. First dates are always super awkward."

"As long as it is not as awkward as our first dance I believe I can manage."

Lizzie grinned at him, "You're getting better at loosening up, William."

"It's because of you," he said seriously.

They arrived at the Italian restaurant, Mia Bella, a few minutes later. Darcy, ever the gentleman opened the car door for her and offered her is arm. She laughed and looped her arm through his. "You're so ridiculously formal."

"Yes, I am."

Darcy said to the hostess, "Two under Darcy."

The blonde girl smiled and led them to our table. "Your waiter will be right with you, sir," she said, leaning in far too close to Darcy.

Lizzie scowled. She remembered that girl from High School. She was the type of girl who never dated the same guy for over a week. Lizzie was glad that they were getting a waiter.

Darcy looked up from the wine list only to find a sour expression on Lizzie's face. "What's wrong, Lizzie? I though you liked this restaurant."

"I do, but I don't like the hostess. Her name is Chloe and she was the textbook definition of slutty cheerleader in high school."

Darcy smirked, "Do I detect jealousy, Lizzie?"

"No, of course not," said Lizzie, a little too quickly.

Darcy chuckled and placed his hand over hers. "I didn't even notice her, Lizzie. Only you."

"You're placating me," huffed Lizzie.

"No, I'm not, but believe that if you like."

When the waiter came, Darcy ordered the most expensive bottle of white wine and two glasses. Lizzie looked at him over the rim of her glass. "Do you always do that?"

"What?"

"Order the most expensive item on the menu."

"It's become a habit," said Darcy stiffly.

"I guess a CEO is only used to the best," said Lizzie.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," said Darcy apologetically.

"No, it's fine," said Lizzie. The fact that Darcy and her were accustomed to completely different lifestyles was thrown in her face. This was going to take some getting used to.

After they ordered their food, they were enjoying talking and getting to know each other until an unwelcome interruption came to the table. "I don't think I've ever seen William Darcy in a restaurant that had less than five stars."

Darcy's jaw clenched. "Leave us alone, Wickham," he said severely.

Lizzie looked up at George Wickham and gasped when she saw whom he was with. "Lydia, what are you doing here."

"You and Jane aren't the only ones who had dates tonight," said Lydia. "I met George at Carter's last night and he asked me out. I didn't know he knew Darcy."

"Oh yes, we're old friends," said Wickham. "Well I guess we will leave you alone," said Wickham, "Come on, peach. I need to carbo load." He and Lydia headed off to their table.

Lizzie took Darcy's hand. "Do you want to go? We can just get the check and order take out."

"I don't want to let George Wickham ruin tonight."

"He won't we can go to Netherfield, order take out, talk, watch a movie, whatever. Our first date won't be ruined."

"Are you sure?"

"Completely," said Lizzie.

Darcy paid the check and they quickly left the restaurant.

-/-

"Are you going to tell me what happened between you and Wickham?" asked Lizzie.

They were sitting on one of the sofas in the media room. They had brought back Chinese and Lizzie had selected a period romance from redbox.

"I want to tell you," said Darcy, 'It's very hard for me to talk about it."

Lizzie leaned into him. "You don't have to say if you don't want to. It's just that he might be here for a while, and we might see him around town. He seems like a jerk, and I don't want him getting his claws into Lydia."

Darcy visibly cringed. "I want to tell you. I don't want George to do to Lydia what he did to my sister."

Lizzie's eyes widened. "What did he do? He told me things last night. I didn't believe him, of course, but he told me you denied him money that was legally his and that you made the woman he love leave him."

Darcy scowled. "That's what he told you? Oh, that's rich."

"I didn't believe him," said Lizzie. "We may not know each other very well, but I know you would never do anything like that."

Darcy put his arm around Lizzie and pulled her close. "I'm glad you didn't believe him. George Wickham was my best friend growing up. Our fathers worked together. He was with me through every major life event, high school graduation, driver's education, when my parents—"

"What?"

"My parents died in a car crash seven years ago. I was twenty years old."

"I didn't know," said Lizzie. "I'm so sorry, William."

"I was forced to grow up too soon. I had to finish school and take care of my thirteen-year-old sister all while taking on the position of CEO. It was George, and Bing and another friend Fitz who were there with me when I got the phone call about my parents. It was the worst time of my life, but I couldn't let Gigi down, or Pemberley Digital. I transferred from Harvard and finished school in California. There was an interim CEO while I was finishing school. My aunt helped with Gigi when she could, but my aunt was forceful and wanted Gigi to go to private school. I wouldn't allow that."

Lizzie nestled closer to him. "William, if this is too painful for you to talk about, we don't have to."

"No, Lizzie. I want you to know. You are important to me. I would like to be able to share these things with you."

Lizzie's heart broke at those words and she was left with only the desire to kiss away his pain. It was strange having such deep feelings for a man that she had only known for a couple of months. Yet, here he was, bearing his soul to her. It showed a level of trust and intimacy that she was unfamiliar with.

"Anyway, George Wickham was there for me through all of it. Until I read my father's will. My father was a great man, and he saw George almost as a second son, and he wanted to help him through school. George was to attend Stanford. I offered to pay the university directly, but George preferred to be paid the full amount directly. I didn't want to dishonor my father's memory so I wrote him a check. He dropped out of Stanford after one semester and spent all of the money that my father had given him in less than a year. He came back for more money and I refused. Our friendship ended after that. I thought I would never see him again."

Darcy was silent for several long moments. At length he resumed his story. "I saw him again last summer. Gigi was trying to make Stanford's swim team. I didn't know it at the time, but George found her and offered to coach her. They spent hours together and he helped her make the swim team. Gigi was living in our condo at the time, and they moved in together. A few months later I flew in to see her. It was a surprise. George was there when I arrived."

"What happened?"

"I have never been more furious in my life. I walked in to discover that my oldest friend was taking advantage of my baby sister. I could have strangled him on the spot. Gigi tried to tell me that he had changed, but I knew better. I knew that George was in it for the money, so I wrote a check and offered it to him to make him leave Gigi alone. He took the money and broke my sisters heart."

"William," said Lizzie, "I can't imagine how awful that must have been."

"Gigi was furious with me. She blamed me for ruining her life. We didn't speak to each other for nearly a month after George left. Eventually she forgave me and saw George for who he really was. I don't think she had gotten over it yet, but we managed to mend our relationship, and it is stronger than it ever was. Seeing George last night brought all the pain back. I didn't want to leave you with him last night, but I couldn't stay either."

Lizzie pulled Darcy into her embrace. At first he was very stiff. "William," she whispered, "you are accustomed to taking care of everyone around you. Every once in a while you should let someone comfort you."

At that, Darcy relaxed in her arms. They sat together in silence for a long time. The movie and the food were forgotten.

It wasn't until Lizzie started to drift off to sleep that Darcy spoke. "Lizzie, I should probably take you home. It's getting late."

"Okay, but first I want to tell you something," said Lizzie. "Thank you for trusting me with this painful story. You didn't have to."

"I wanted to. I want us to have a good and honest relationship. I don't do anything half-heartedly."

"I'm glad. Neither do I."

"It wasn't the greatest first date," he said dryly.

"No. It was perfect," Lizzie leaned in and kissed him lightly. "You're a really great guy, William Darcy."


	14. Chapter 14

"I shouldn't have taken Lydia to Carter's two nights ago," said Lizzie into the camera. "Let's just say that going to a bar during Swim week is a terrible idea. All of the swim teams are in town, and the guys, while nice too look at are far from gentlemen. In fact, I think the only gentleman at the bar was the one I brought with me. That's right, loyal viewers, you guessed it. William Darcy came to the bar with Lydia and me."

The intro flashed, and the video resumed with Jane and Lizzie sitting beside each other.

"So, Lizzie tell me about Carter's and your first date with Darcy," said Jane with a sunny smile.

Lizzie turned to the camera. "I know that all you lovely viewers will be thrilled to hear that Darcy and I had our first date, and no Carter's doesn't count. It was last night. Anyway I'll get to that later."

"So, did you meet anyone at nice Carter's. I know Lydia did," said Jane.

"Nice isn't an accurate descriptor. Of course, Lydia probably talked to every swimmer at the bar, but in the end it was a swim coach who caught her attention, and unfortunately, he is definitely not nice."

There was a cut. "Okay, I should probably tell you that all three of the Bennet Sisters were on a date last night. My mom hasn't stopped freaking out about it. Jane of course went out with Bing, I went out with Darcy, and Lydia, well, Jane how can I say this nicely?"

Jane frowned. "Lydia went out with someone she didn't know anything about."

"His name is George Wickham, and he's one of the swim coaches. Apparently he also used to be Darcy's closest friend. They've known eachother since they were born, and while I can't tell you all what happened between them, let's just say that this guy is the opposite of a gentleman."

Jane grinned, "And who would you classify as a gentleman, Lizzie?"

"Well, I think Bing is a gentleman, and Dad," she said.

"Come on, Lizzie."

"Alright, William Darcy is a gentleman too. So we had our fist date at Mia Bella, and he was the old fashioned guy that opened doors for me and pulled out myc chair at the dinner table and offered me his arm. It was like something out of a regency era romance novel. It was really nice. But then our date got interrupted when Lydia walked in with George Wickham. It was super awkward and our date got cut shored. I think we'll try again in a few days, so have no fear."

"But you had a good time right, Lizzie? I mean, every relationship has to start somewhere."

"That's true," acknowledged Lizzie, "I mean I guess you did meet Bing because mom was stalking him."

"No. I met him at that wedding, which is where you met Darcy. So I think it counts as a pretty good night, and hopefully it will lead to a double date?"

Lizzie smiled despite herself. "It probably will," said Lizzie. "But what did I learn from my night at Carter's and my date with Darcy?"

"Gentleman are making a comeback like mix tapes and tandem bicycles, and Bing and Darcy are rare gentlemen," chimed in Jane.

"Also, there is no excuse for jerks like George Wickham. Darcy proves that. Hopefully Lydia's date was dud so we will never have to see him again."

-/-

"Why did you talk about me and George on your video, Lizzie?" asked Lydia on Thursday afternoon. She didn't sound angry, just annoyed.

"He was part of the story," said Lizzie. "I've been meaning to talk to you about him."

"Look, Lizzie, you don't need to worry. He's leaving town on Saturday and I'm not going to see him again. You know that I am not the relationship girl."

"Oh, okay, but if he ever does come back, I don't think you should see him again," said Lizzie, feeling relieved.

"He won't and I won't," said Lydia. "I don't need a man to shackle me down like you and Jane. I like to play the field."

"Okay, Lydia. Listen, I have to study, but I'm glad we had this conversation. I'll see you later."

"You're going to the Library again?" asked Lydia.

"It's the end of the semester and I'm slammed with deadlines."

"Okay. Have fun, nerd."

-/-

"George left town today and Lydia isn't going to see him again" said Lizzie. She and Darcy were in the media room at Netherfield. Luckily Caroline was still out of town. Lizzie had the feeling that Caroline was doing whatever she could to prolong her stay in LA. However, Lizzie also had a feeling that if Caroline knew that she and Darcy were now dating, she probably would be back in a flash. Gortunately, Bing hadn't told her yet.

"I'm glad," said Darcy.

"How did you like Thursday's video?" said Lizzie.

"It was very good," said Darcy. "You're a natural story teller. Will you keep the diaries going until you graduate next year?"

"Well, I have a bit of a fan base now, and they are for my thesis. I'll probably keep them going for a while. I'll just have to take it a week at a time."

"Your viewers are quite enthusiastic," said Darcy, "I've read some of the comments."

"The ones about you?" asked Lizzie teasingly.

"Yes, and others."

"I've been getting all kinds of tweets from my viewers saying how happy they are that you and I are dating."

"Have you gotten used to that? Having your life broadcasted to thousands?"

"Not yet, but my viewers are great. Do you have a twitter?"

"Yes, but I don't use it often, and I haven't checked it in weeks."

"Well, I bet that if you were to check it you would find that you have a surge of new followers. You're kind of dating an internet personality," said Lizzie with mock solemnity.

"Well, aren't I lucky?"

"Yes, you are," said Lizzie, kissing his cheek.

-/-

"So why are you being treated to the Lizzie Bennet Zombie Diaries today? So glad you asked. Is it because it's the end of the semester and I'm slammed with deadlines? No. Is it a shameless ploy to invoke an Internet meme for more viewers? Not even. Is it because I was out with Darcy last night and neither of us got any sleep last night? You wish. The blame lies with my mother. Not a big surprise. We went shopping at 4 A.M."

Lizzie began a rant about her unconventional shopping trip. After a jumpcut, she revealed that Mrs. Bennet had a convoluted plot. Lizzie brought Jane in the room and put on her Mrs. Bennet costume.

Costume theater revealed Mrs. Bennet's most elaborate scheme yet, involving Jane going over to Netherfield in a white dress and the green bean gelatin melting all over Jane while she walked there in the rain. "You can imagine where this is heading," said Lizzie, "It involves a washing machine and being stranded at Netherfield for the night. My mom is nothing if not a master of convoluted plans. I was going to try and talk to her about it, but when I went downstairs she was talking to Dad about our financial situation. I'll hust say that it's not great. So, ow I get to eat this."

Lizzie held up a gelatin mold willed with green beans. When she finished she said, "Oh the things I do for my sister. I hope she appreciates this."

Of course, Jane had practically perfect hearing and the video ended with Jane saying, "I do," from the hallway.

-/-

Lizzie was swamped with finals, and Darcy had a massive amount of reports to organize. This meant that they weren't able to see each other through the whole week. When Lizzie wasn't studying, or taking a final, she found herself missing him. A lot. It was strange. She wondered if he missed her.

Finals also meant that she couldn't make her second weekly video. It wasn't until Friday afternoon, after her last final. That she went to YouTube and discovered that Lydia had hijacked her video blog.

Lizzie took a deep breath before pressing play. This was going to be ridiculous.

"So, I've got something on Charlotte and she and Lizzie have finals so you get to enjoy the awesome, and the adorbs. My name is Lydia Bennet and this is my haul." She held up an enormous shopping bag before the title card flashed across the screen.

"Okay, I'ms guessing that Lizzie has stopped watching because she is disgusted by my blatant consumerism. Let's just get to the point. Weird ploys involving gelatin are not going to get the job done for Jane and Bing. Unlike my nerdy sister Lizzie and her nerdy hipster boyfriend Darcy, Jane and Bing , or Jing as I like to call them, haven't put a label on their relationship."

"My older sisters are too concerned about propriety and letting things take their own time, but I'm telling you that nothing gets done without alcohol. So I hatced a plan of my own." Here Lydia talked about her patented Lydia's Laws and about the party that she was going to get Bing to host at Netherfield. "This is how it went down with Bing Lee the other day."

Jane was walking by the door and Lydia called her in for Costume Theater.

"So, Bing, do you know what Big houses are good for," said Lydia as herself.

"Sock slides," said Jane!Bing

"That's so true, but I was thinking that they are better for parties. Didn't you say you were going to host one?"

"Lydia, don't hold him to that," said Jane, breaking character.

"Whatever. He totally said he would and I got him to name a date. Mission accomplished."

"I have to go," said Jane.

Lydia grinned at the camera once she was alone. " Bing will host a party. He and Jane will get drunk. Drunken hookup marriage FTW. That means for the win. Also, Lizzie and Darcy will probably just be nerdy in the corner. They totes need some alcohol in their life too."

Lizzie groaned as the video ended. She didn't even want to know what Darcy was going to think of this one. Would he tell Bing about the videos?


	15. Chapter 15

"So, does formulating convoluted plans run in the family," asked Darcy dryly over coffee on Sunday afternoon.

Lizzie looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. "Are you always going use the content of my videos against me," asked Lizzie.

"Perhaps," said Darcy with a smirk. "You're very grumpy this afternoon. I would have thought you would be happy now that your semester is over."

"Yes, well Charlotte and I have decided to keep the videos going indefinitely, we are going to Vidcon in two weeks, and I haven't gotten a decent night sleep in over a week."

"You're going in two weeks?"

"That's all you caught? Look who is falling into the needy boyfriend stereotype," she teased.

"No. It's just that I need do go back to San Francisco for about a week. I've been putting it off, but since you'll be gone anyway, it will be good time to do it."

"Oh, right, always thinking of work," said Lizzie with mock seriousness.

"Yes, I am. Remember that you're dating a workaholic."

"I don't mind so much," said Lizzie. "So okay, now that we've got that out of the way it's time for you to make a confession. What did you think of Lydia's video on Thursday. "

"I don't have much to say," said Darcy.

"Well, what's new? Seriously, tell me."

"Your mother and sister seem very bent on seeing your sister married to my best friend."

"They just want Jane to be happy," said Lizzie defensively.

"Your mother seems to believe that being rich ensures happiness," said Darcy. "Which makes Bing a great choice."

"My sister isn't in it for the money," said Lizzie severely. "You've seen my videos."

"Your sister doesn't give much indication that she likes Bing for who he is rather than what he has," said Darcy.

Lizzie glared at him. "You did not just imply that my sister is a gold digger, did you?"

"I didn't say that."

"Maybe not directly, but it's what you're thinking. Whatever. I'm going. Charlotte and I have to finish editing my video for tomorrow." Lizzie turned to walk away but then stopped and threw a five-dollar bill on the table. "It's for my coffee so you don't start thinking that I'm a gold digger too. Keep the change."

Darcy stared after her. Had they just had their first fight? How had it gotten so out of hand. He'd just been honest.

-/-

"Lizzie, are you okay?" said Charlotte. They were both sitting in front of Lizzie's computer, editing episode 21.

"Darcy is a jerk," said Lizzie.

"Uh oh, trouble in paradise."

"It's not paradise," said Lizzie, "we haven't been dating very long and we're already fighting."

"Well what happened."

Lizzie told her about her conversation with Darcy and by the time she finished she was in full on rant mode. "He thinks that Jane is only interested in Bing for his money and that my mother and Lydia are crazy and manipulative for coming up with all of their convolute plans."

"Did he actually say all that, because if he did, then he is a jerk."

"Well, no, but it was what he was thinking."

Charlotte looked at her, eyebrow raise. "Since when did you become a mind-reader, Lizzie?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" snapped Lizzie.

"Just that you have a history of misinterpreting what Darcy says and does. Did you even let him explain, or did you just storm out?"

Lizzie didn't answer.

"Of course it was the latter," said Charlotte. "I know my best friend."

"Do you always have to be right," asked Lizzie.

"No, but when it comes to your feelings about Darcy I just am. Listen, Lizzie, all couples fight. I think it's good you got the first one over with, but talk to him. Give him a chance to explain. From what I gather, Darcy isn't very articulate when he's around you, and you have a tendency to misunderstand him."

Lizzie said nothing again.

"So, you'll call him, or better yet go over and see him?"

"Fine," grumbled Lizzie.

"Good. Go do it now. I can finish editing this on my own." Charlotte pulled out her portable hard drive and loaded the footage onto it. Then she hugged her best friend and said, "Let me know how it goes."

-/-

"Lizzie," said Darcy, looking relieved when he answered the door. "I was going to call you."

"Can we talk," said Lizzie.

"Of course. Why don't you come in?"

Lizzie stepped into the enormous house and followed Darcy upstairs.

"Where are we going?" asked Lizzie.

"I though we could talk in the game room upstairs. Bing is with Caroline in the living room."

"Oh, Caroline is back in town?"

"Yes, she just flew in this morning."

"Does she know about us?"

"No," said Darcy. The fact that Lizzie had still revered to them as an 'us' was a huge relief, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

Darcy closed the door as Lizzie plopped down on one of the over-stuffed sofas.

He hesitated before sitting next to her. "Lizzie, I should apologize," he said. "I didn't mean to imply that your sister had ulterior motives for perusing a relationship with Bing."

"But you don't approve of my family," Lizzie cut in.

"No," said Darcy, "It's not that. However, your family is very different from mine. My mother and father loved to laugh and tease, but they were still very serious, and I lost them. My Aunt Catherine is very serious and particular about the way she lives her life. I grew up in a different environment, and I'm not quite used to the exuberance and sometimes improper behavior that some members of your family often display."

"I'm trying not to be offended, but it's not easy when your criticizing those closest to me," said Lizzie sarcastically, narrowing her eyes.

"I do not mean to say that you or Jane have behaved with impropriety," said Darcy, "but if you look at the situation from my point of view, you could see how one could come to the conclusion that your mother only wants Jane to be with Bing for financial security. Even you have portrayed your mother that way in your videos."

Lizzie scowled. "Costume Theater is a joke," said Lizzie, "and anyway, I know my family way better than you do and I don't appreciate your criticism. I'm sure your aunt isn't perfect."

"I didn't say that, Lizzie," said Darcy, "I am trying to be honest, and you keep morphing everything I say into something negative."

"Let me tell you something, Darcy, there isn't much positivity in anything you've said so far."

The tone in which she called him by his last name stung. Darcy took a deep breath. He knew he couldn't afford to say anything else wrong. Their relationship was still new and he was standing on very uneven ground. He reached out for her hand and took it in his, relieved when she didn't pull away. "Lizzie," he said, "I'm sorry. It seems that I am almost constantly giving offense when I speak, even when it is not my intention."

"Okay," said Lizzie.

"I am sorry to have upset you," he said. Then he removed the five-dollar bill from his pocket and gave it to her.

"I don't want this," said Lizzie. "Having you pay for my coffee might start to give you the wrong idea."

"Lizzie, I don't mind, really. Just take it back."

"Fine," said Lizzie, taking the money and placing it in her purse.

"So, is our fight over now?" he asked earnestly.

Lizzie shook her head. "Not quite. I need you to know a few things. One, my mother and Lydia have good intentions, they just have a unique way of showing them. Two, Jane really cares about Bing and not because of his money. Three, you only get to pay for me every once in a while."

"I understand," said Darcy.

Lizzie's expression softened a little and she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm glad. The fight is over now."

Darcy smiled slightly and pulled her into his arms, kissing her hair. "I'm glad it's over. I thought—"

"What," asked Lizzie.

"I thought it might be it for us," said Darcy.

"All couples fight," said Lizzie, "even more so when they are as stubborn as you and I. So, do you think that Bing cares about Jane."

Darcy sat in contemplative silence for a long moment. "I have seen Bing fall in and out of love before, but his feelings for Jane seem different, deeper somehow. That is all I will say on the subject. I wouldn't want to say anything that would embarrass him."

Lizzie grinned. "I'm glad. I think they could be really good for each other."

Darcy said nothing.

Lizzie bit her lip. "Oh, Charlotte says you should pay close attention to tomorrows video. I can't imagine why, though."

"I guess I will have to wait and see."

-/-

"I think I know why Charlotte wanted me to pay close attention to your video," said Darcy, on his Tuesday night phone call with Lizzie.

"Pray tell," said Lizzie sarcastically.

"You snore, and you need to find someone rich to pay you to change the culture."

"I do not snore," said Lizzie defensively.

"Maybe that will get confirmed one day" said Darcy dryly.

Lizzie was glad that Darcy couldn't see how red she was getting because of that comment.

"Oh, by the way, you will most likely receive an invitation tomorrow," said Darcy.

"An invitation to what?"

"That is all I can say at the moment," said Darcy. "I have a few reports to finish. I will talk to you tomorrow."

"William," Lizzie whined.

"Have a good night, Lizzie," was all he said before hanging up.

-/-

"Who sends printed invitations anymore. Look how formal it is," said Lizzie brandishing the piece of paper in front of the camera. "Anyway, that is why I am hiding from Jane today."

As if on cue, Jane entered the room. "You're hiding from me?" she asked.

"No," said Lizzie, a little too quickly.

"That's not what you just said," countered Jane. "It's recorded."

Lizzie sighed. "Fine. I was."

"Do you not want to go to the party? Darcy will be there. You won't be a third wheel or anything."

"No, it's not that. It's just that I haven't seen Caroline since Darcy and I got together and I think it's going to be awkward. Plus, Lydia has plans for this party."

"Oh yeah," said Jane blushing slightly. "I forgot about that."

"But don't worry about Lydia. Bing said she could do sock slides and it that fails to distract her, Darcy and I can dance. That will keep her distracted."

"And what about Caroline?"

"I'll figure that out later, just focus on spending time with Bing."

"Okay, but if you want to go to the party why were you hiding?"

"Old time sake," said Lizzie.

"Lizzie," said Jane,

"Umm, well a couple of things, but we can talk later. By the way, do you think I'm too involved in your love life?"

"No, you're my sister," said Jane, "So you'll come to the party?"

"Of course," said Lizzie.

"Great, because I have a discarded sample form work and I'm redoing the neckline and you're going to look fabulous. Darcy won't be able to pay attention to anyone else."

"For me, but Jane, you have a guy to impress too."

"I already did my dress," said Jane.

"Oh my gosh, "I never thought I would see that day when Jane did something nice for herself before doing it for someone else."

"So can I get you for a fitting," said Jane excitedly, ignoring the sarcasm.

"Yeah, let me finish up first," said Lizzie.

"Okay, see you in a minute," then Jane practically skipped out of the room.

"I'm not too involved in my sister's love life," said Lizzie into the camera. "We've always been like that. Who else am I going to talk to besides Charlotte and the Internet, and well, you know," she hesitated, and never actually said Darcy, the name that was on the tip of her tongue. "Well, I've got a fitting. Stay tuned to find out about Bing's party."


	16. Chapter 16

"Lizzie you look beautiful," said Jane. "That dress looks fantastic on you."

"Thanks Jane, you look incredible too. Bing isn't going to be able to pay any attention to anyone else the whole night."

"Oh Lizzie, do you really think he likes me that way," said Jane, blushing lightly.

"Of course. It's totally obvious."

"If you say so," said Jane, "So are you nervous about seeing Darcy tonight, you guys haven't really talked since you made up."

"That's the thing about dating a workaholic," said Lizzie. "And not really. I am nervous about seeing Caroline though. There is a chance that she will scratch my eyes out with her perfectly manicured fingernails."

"Oh, Lizzie, don't be ridiculous. Caroline is Darcy's friend and I'm sure she just wants him to be happy."

"Oh please, she is totally into him. Darcy said so. She already doesn't like me. I don't care what you say."

"Well you'll have Darcy at least, and Charlotte, and me," said Jane.

"Jane, don't worry about me," said Lizzie, "focus on having a great time with Bing."

-/-

Darcy was nervous. He had been avoiding Caroline ever since she had returned to Netherfield. Besides, he was still upset that he and Lizzie had their first fight. At least it was behind them, but now there was something more uncomfortable ahead of them. Caroline didn't know about him and Lizzie, ad Darcy knew that when she found out that she would not be happy. He also knew that Caroline would take her anger out on Lizzie. Darcy wouldn't allow that though. He didn't want Lizzie to be miserable tonight.

"So, Darcy, are you looking forward to tonight. Everything is almost ready for the party. Bing practically skipped upstairs to get ready," said Caroline, already sounding annoyed before the evening had even started.

"Yes, I am. We haven't seen the Bennets in a few days. I can understand why Bing is looking forward to tonight."

"Ugh, that whole family is just so bothersome. I will say that Jane is the best of them but that isn't saying much."

"I disagree," said Darcy stiffly.

"Oh right, you still have a crush on that Lizzie Bennet," said Caroline, "It's too bad she doesn't like you very much.

Darcy turned towards her, eyebrow raised, "What makes you say that?"

"Oh please, you guys haven't even spent any real time together and she hardly ever talks to you. Unless you guys became friends while I was in LA, which seems highly unlikely."

Darcy made no response. He would wait until Lizzie was here to tell Caroline. Or at least that was his plan until Caroline changed everything.

"So Darcy, I know this might seem like a strange request but how about you be my date for tonight. I'm going to need someone to distract me all night."

"I apologize. I can't do that," said Darcy sharply.

"Why not?"

"I do not think my girlfriend would like that," he said.

"Girlfriend," said Caroline. "What on earth are you talking about?"

Darcy was about to answer when Bing came downstairs. "Oh good, you guys are ready. Jane and Lizzie are coming by early to help finish setting up."

-/-

"Hey, Lizzie, Jane,:" said Bing when he answered the door. "I'm so glad you guys came. Darcy and Caroline are through this way."

Bing led them to the party area. The dining room and the three adjoining rooms had been converted into a party area. There was a long banquet table covered in food pushed against the back wall of the dining room.

Darcy stood up when Lizzie and Jane entered the room. He glanced at Caroline before going over to Lizzie. He took Lizzie's hands in his and kissed her lightly.

Caroline received his message loud and clear.

"You're going out with Lizzie Bennet," she shrieked. She threw the vase she was holding to the ground and bolted upstairs.

"Caroline, wait" called Bing. He cast an apologetic look at Jane before going upstairs to find her.

"Smooth, William," said Lizzie.

"I was going to tell her before hand but Bing interrupted. I'm not the best with words."

"So you decided PDA was the right way to tell her?" asked Lizzie with an eyebrow raised.

"Perhaps," he said stiffly.

Lizzie squeezed his hand in hers. "Jane, what do you think?"

"I don't know. It's not really my business," said Jane. "but maybe you should have just said it instead of showing it."

Darcy turned away. "I suppose I should go talk to her."

"No," said Lizzie. "Let her calm down first. We should probably get this glass cleaned up."

"I'll do it," said Jane.

-/-

Caroline was furious. "Why didn't you tell me about this," she screamed at her brother.

"I knew you'd be upset. Besides, it wasn't my news to share," said Bing.

"You could have warned me. You know how I feel about Darcy."

"I know you used to like him," said Bing, "but I thought you guys were just friends now."

"Oh gosh, Bing, you are so clueless."

"Caroline," said Bing, "I want you to promise me that you will be civil tonight, to everyone, especially Lizzie. This party is really important to me and I don't want anything to go wrong."

"I can't promise that," said Caroline icily. "That Bennet girl has no business dating Darcy."

"They're happy," said Bing. "That's what's important."

"Well, if they are happy right now, it's not going to last. Lizzie is so not Darcy's type. Anyway, I can't make any promises."

"Then I don't think you should come downstairs then," said Bing, sounding unsure of himself.

"Are you actually telling me I can't come to a party being thrown in our house."

"No. I'm just saying that if you are going to go downstairs and be mad and be rude to everyone then there is no point in coming. Plus, you know how Darcy is. He's not going to let you be rude to Lizzie. He takes care of the people he cares about."

"I know," grumbled Caroline. "Fine, I'll be civil. I know how much this party means to you." After tonight she would start thinking of a way to break up Darcy and Lizzie, but for her brother's sake she would be on her best behavior for the rest of the evening.

-/-

So far, the party was a huge success. Everyone was having a great time. Caroline was rarely seen, as she kept rushing back and forth between the party rooms and the kitchen.

Lizzie was relieved that Bing had calmed her down, but she had a feeling in her gut that Caroline was still really upset. Caroline wasn't going to let this go.

Darcy was standing in the corner by the swan ice sculptures to avoid social interactions. Lizzie sighed and shook her head as she left her group of friends to go check on him.

"So, I gather you're not having fun," said Lizzie.

"I am not fond of large social gatherings," said Darcy.

"How agoraphobic of you," said Lizzie. "Come with me. Charlotte and I are just talking to a few of our friends. It's totally casual."

"No, thank you," he said.

"Are you just going to stand here all night, then? Not talking to anyone?"

"I'm talking to you," he said.

"I don't count," said Lizzie. "Come on, it's a party. Why don't you try having a little fun."

"I don't want to," said Darcy.

"Fine," said Lizzie, rolling her eyes. "I'll come check on you later."

-/-

The best thing about the party so far was that Jane and Bing were basically inseparable. Lizzie watched with glee as they danced together and circled the room and talked together.

"Jane and Bing are so sweet together," said Lizzie to Charlotte.

"Definitely. Howe come you're not with Darcy?

"He's standing over there in the corner. I've been checking on him every half hour or so. Apparently he hates large social gatherings. His words, not mine."

"That doesn't surprise me. Why don't you go spend some time with him, he's probably lonely. Besides, look who is heading his way," said Charlotte, looking over in his direction.

Lizzie narrowed her eyes when she was Caroline making a beeline for her boyfriend. "Oh no she doesn't," said Lizzie, "By the way, Caroline knows about us. I'll give you full details later."

"You better," said Charlotte. "Now get going. I can watch Jane and Bing making googly eyes at each other enough for the both of us."

-/-

When Lizzie reached Darcy and Caroline she seemed to have caught Caroline in mid-sentence. Darcy looked relieved when he aught her eyes. "Caroline, hi," said Lizzie, "Thank you for inviting me and my family."

Caroline had a fake smile plastered on her face. "We're very glad that you could come, Elizabeth Bennet," said Caroline icily.

Lizzie nodded and put a hand on Darcy's shoulder. "So, what were you two talking about."

"I was just asking him if he was enjoying the party," said Caroline innocently.

"Sure," said Lizzie.

"Well, I should go check on something in the kitchen. I'll see you later tonight, Darcy." Before she turned to go she glared at Lizzie.

"Thank you for rescuing me," said Darcy. "By what Caroline was starting to say, things could have gotten ugly."

"What did she say to you?" asked Lizzie.

"She apologized that my silly little girlfriend had abandoned me in a corner," said Darcy, "her words. Not mine."

"Well, did I," said Lizzie, with mock sweetness.

"If you did, everything is fine now," said Darcy, putting his arm around his waist.

"Do you want to get out of the fray for awhile," asked Lizzie.

"What did you have in mind?" asked Darcy with a small smile.

"Just follow me," said Lizzie, taking his hand and guiding him upstairs.

"Miss Bennet, I have to wonder what your intentions are as you are guiding me upstairs towards the bedrooms," said Darcy dryly.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, William," said Lizzie. "I just thought that we might want to go somewhere quiet for awhile."

"I do like the sound of that," said Darcy.

"Yes, you wouldn't want to be downstairs and in danger of unwanted social interactions," teased Lizzie.

"Well this social interaction isn't unwanted," said Darcy.

Lizzie looked at him, eyebrows raised, "I never would have guessed that you were a sappy guy, William."

"Well, you still don't know me very well," said Darcy.

"Let's change that," said Lizzie, pulling him down to sit on the sofa beside her.

Darcy put his arm around her and Lizzie nestled in close. "So, you've really been miserable this whole night?"

"Not the whole night," said Darcy.

"You really don't like large gatherings, do you?"

"No," said Darcy.

"But you're a CEO. You have tons of functions all the time, with all of those fancy investors and business type people."

"It's different. When I'm in my suit at a function, I am a different person. People respect me, and I am in my element."

"And now?"

"I don't know if you've noticed but I'm not well-liked here," said Darcy. "I don't know anyone, and no one knows me."

"I like you," said Lizzie, "and Jane, and Charlotte, and of course you have Bing and Caroline."

"I like you too," he said.

"I'm glad," said Lizzie, kissing him.

Maybe it was the fact that they were alone, while an entire party was going on below them, but the kiss got heated quickly. Darcy pulled Lizzie into his chest and deepened the kiss.

A wave of energy shot through her, as her arms tightened around his neck. Darcy's hands traveled down to her waist and gripped her tightly.

After a long moment they broke apart. Lizzie's chest was heaving and her breathing was shallow. "Wow," said Lizzie, "that was really nice."

Darcy flushed a little bit. "Yes, it was. Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said, kissing him again. Lizzie sighed and laid her head on his chest.

Darcy was suddenly stroking her hair idly. Lizzie felt safe in his arms. She felt comfortable and relaxed. "So how upset do you think Caroline is?" said Lizzie.

"Very. I never was interested in her that way, but she was always trying to change that."

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad she wasn't successful."

"Oh?" he said.

"We wouldn't be here right now. Well you might be here, with Caroline."

"Don't even say that," said Darcy.

"Speaking of Caroline, if we are up here much longer, Caroline might come barging in, or worse, Lydia will come in and cat-call loudly for everyone to hear."

"We wouldn't want that," said Darcy. He sat up, but didn't release Lizzie from his embrace, "But let me do something first." Then he kissed her. It was a sweet and gentle kiss, full of admiration. Lizzie's heart melted a little bit. After a few moments he pulled away.

"One for the road?" asked Lizzie.

"I'm not one for PDA," said Darcy.

"Except for when it comes to telling Caroline about us," teased Lizzie.

"Except for that," he said.

-/-

It was a little past midnight and Lizzie was getting tired. Jane and Bing were still being sickeningly adorable, and Jane was giving no indication that she wanted to leave.

Finally Lizzie went up to charlotte and suggested that they leave. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet had left a couple hours before and it was getting very late.

"Okay. I'll go get Lydia," said Charlotte, "you can go say goodbye to Darcy."

"Thanks," said Lizzie. She wandered over to where Darcy was standing. "Charlotte, Lydia and I are going to head out."

"What about Jane?"

"I think she and Bing are having too much fun. Will you make sure she gets home safely?"

"I'm sure Bing has that covered, but of course I will."

Lizzie smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks. I'll talk to you later. Goodnight."

"Get a room," hollered a drunken Lydia.

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Bye William."

"Goodbye Lizzie," he said.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful comments. So this is kind of a transition chapter, but I wanted to update today. I hope you enjoy!**

"Elizabeth, where is Jane this fine morning," asked Mrs. Bennet at breakfast the morning after Bing's party.

"She's still at Netherfield," said Lizzie, "She spent the night."

"Oh my, it's good to see that things are going well for Bing and Jane, and why, Elizabeth, did you come home. I'm sure your charming young man would have liked it if you had stayed."

"Someone had to take Lydia home," said Lizzie.

"Well, I suppose you're right. You'll just have to find another opportunity," said Mrs. Bennet.

-/-

"So, Bing Lee's party was pretty fun and pretty crazy, and guess who didn't come home last night?"

The title card flashed across the screen.

"That's right, you guessed it! Jane didn't come home last night. I know what you're thinking," said Lizzie, "look who got Bing'd last night. But this is Jane Bennet we're talking about. Get your dirty minds out of the gutter and Charlotte and I will show you what happened.

Here they did a reenactment of Jane's night with Bing that was no more than fifty percent accurate.

"They are so sweet together," said Lizzie. "According to Jane it was perfect. A few years down the road they'll probably get married and have 2.5 grandkids. While I, will most likely end up as a spinster."

Charlotte coughed.

"Do you have something to say, Charlotte."

"I don't think spinsterhood is in your future. Where did you and Darcy disappear to last night. You were gone for a while. Were you hiding from Caroline?"

Lizzie blushed. "Darcy and I just wanted a little space. He's not fond of large gatherings, and yes, we may have been trying to get away from Caroline. She found out about us last night and let's just say that she wasn't happy. Valuable vases were broken."

"So you and Darcy were just hiding, there was nothing else going on," said Charlotte.

"Oh please, this is me we're talking about," said Lizzie.

Then Lydia came in. "Oh my gosh, guess who got Bing'd last night," cried Lydia triumphantly.

"Okay, that does need to stop," said Lizzie, realizing how cheesy the term was.

Lydia smirked. "You might have even gotten some mancake action last night, Lizzie. You and your nerdy boyfriend disappeared for awhile."

"Don't even go there," said Lizzie.

"Fine, but didn't we have so much fun last night? It was a totally awesome party."

"Yes, it was really fun," said Lizzie.

"So no regrets right?"

"Well, I do have one. I think I lost my favorite necklace."

"Maybe it came off when you and Darcy were doing whatever you were doing," said Lydia, with a mischievous look to the camera. "Nerd love."

Lizzie flushed again and turned off the camera. Sometimes she wished that Darcy didn't watch her videos.

-/-

"So, I'm leaving for Vidcon in a few days," said Lizzie.

"Ah yes. When is that exactly?"

"Charlotte and I will do our road trip on Saturday. We'll stay for a week before coming back home."

"It will be a good networking opportunity for you," said Darcy. "A lot of people like your videos."

"That's what Charlotte thinks," said Lizzie. "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning," he said.

"Oh, that's soon."

"Yes, it is," said Darcy, glancing at his open laptop.

Lizzie wondered why Darcy was acting so weird. He was being more silent than usual.

After a few moments Lizzie finally said, "So, is something bothering you?"

"No," said Darcy.

"Right," said Lizzie. "Come on, you can tell me."

"Your last video," he said.

"What about it," asked Lizzie.

"I would prefer it if you, Charlotte and Lydia did not talk about our intimate relationship on camera."

"We don't have an intimate relationship yet," said Lizzie.

"That's not what I meant. Your viewers didn't need to know that we went off on our own during Bing's party. I'm a very private man, Lizzie."

"Well, then it's a good thing you're dating a vlogger," said Lizzie sarcastically.

Darcy scowled at her. "I don't appreciate the sarcasm."

"I bet you don't," said Lizzie. "No one is ever sarcastic when speaking to Mr. Darcy, CEO of Pemberley Digital. You probably have people fawning all over you."

"Lizzie," said Darcy sharply.

"You need to loosen up, William. I would never say anything too personal about our relationship on camera. Charlotte and Lydia were just teasing me. I have a video blog, and I am going to talk about what happens to my sisters and me. That's something you should get used to."

"There are lines, Lizzie," said Darcy, "lines that shouldn't be crossed."

"Look, if you're getting upset over a little innuendo, you're crazy," said Lizzie. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. I'll let you get back to your work."

"Lizzie, wait," said Darcy.

"No," said Lizzie. She rushed towards the door.

Darcy got up and followed after her. He reached out and grabbed her hand before she could walk out the door.

"Let me go," said Lizzie.

"Lizzie, you're overreacting," he said.

"Oh, hi Pot, I'm Kettle," she quipped.

"Lizzie, I don't want to fight about this, and I don't want to fight right before leaving you for almost two weeks."

"We're not fighting," said Lizzie.

"It seems like we are," said Darcy, his tone softened though. "Lizzie, I understand that you will talk about me on your videos. That is something I am getting used to, but it's difficult. I have never been one to lay out my private affairs for the world to see. All I ask is that you watch what you say. I have a reputation to uphold."

Lizzie frowned. "I know, but William, you also need to lighten up and stop taking everything that is said on my videos so seriously. I promise that I will watch what I say, but only if you promise to not overreact to each video."

"I believe I can do that," said Darcy, pulling Lizzie into his arms. "I am sorry to have upset you."

"Me too," said Lizzie. "I know you like your privacy."

"I suppose it's a little less private now that I'm in a relationship with you.

"Is it worth it?"

In response, Darcy kissed her deeply.

"Good answer," said Lizzie when they broke apart. "But I really should be going. You have to get ready for your trip. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. We'll talk each night though," he said.

"If you want," said Lizzie.

"I do," said Darcy. "I'll want to know about what doesn't happen on your videos."

"Okay," said Lizzie. "text me when you land."

"I will," he said, before kissing her lightly. "Goodbye Lizzie."

-/-

Caroline had been at the top of the stairs during Lizzie and Darcy's goodbye.

What videos were they talking about?

When Lizzie was gone Caroline looked Lizzie up on Google and clicked on her first video. Caroline frowned. It looked like she had several videos to catch up on.

After watching them, and hearing the tail end of Lizzie and Darcy's argument, Caroline knew what she could do. She would befriend Lizzie and get her to talk more about Darcy on her videos. Caroline would get Lizzie to share the private and personal details of their relationship on camera and once Lizzie did that, Darcy would break up with her. It was perfect.

Despite the fact that it was a perfect plan, Caroline still had to figure out a way to execute it. Fortunately Lizzie would be gone for the next week. In the meantime, Caroline would keep watching Lizzie's silly little videos.

-/-

"Jane's back and Mom isn't happy," said Lizzie, when recording her video later that day.

"So, even though Jane spent the night connecting with Bing on a deeper level, my mom was practically an ice queen when Jane got home."

Lizzie donned the sunhat and shawl. "How dare Jane come back home and waste a golden opportunity. How is she supposed to win Bing Lee's hand in marriage when she spends her nights here."

"I believe it is the man who must win the heart of the lady," said Charlotte as Mr. Bennet.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures for our desperate single daughters."

There was a jump cut.

"If Jane and Bing do get into a serious relationship, things need to happen in their own time. Of course, I think mom is up to something. She wants to put this relationship on the fast track. Also, while her main focus is on Jane and Bing, she has started to drop hints about Darcy and me. I wouldn't be surprised if her plan involved me too. But I can't worry about that right now, because Charlotte, Jane and I are going to Vidcon next week!"

They spent a minute talking about the great opportunities that could come from Vidcon before Lydia came in and said that she was coming too.

"Wow, I guess next time you will see us at Vidcon," said Lizzie.


	18. Chapter 18

Lizzie, Charlotte, Jane and Lydia were having a wonderful time at Vidcon, Lizzie especially.

Well, besides when Ricky Collins had barged in on her video. That was awkward and uncomfortable.

Still, Lizzie was surprised by how much she was missing Darcy. They had both been very busy and hadn't talked much. In fact, Lizzie was feeling a little bit guilty about the fight they'd had before she had left for Vidcon.

He was right to ask her to refrain from sharing details about their relationship that were too personal on her videos. Lizzie was going to work on that. She didn't want to embarrass him or make him lose out on potential investors should they come across her videos by accident. She also dwelt on her behavior when they had their first two fights. She always faced conflict with sarcasm and mocking. Perhaps that was unfair. She would try and work on that too. Her sarcastic mode wouldn't work for a fall back when it came to William Darcy.

She would make it up to him when she got back. This time apart was really beginning to give her perspective.

-/-

Vidcon was almost over. Lizzie was recording her second weekly video, when she received the news.

Lizzie had been right. Mrs. Bennet was planning something, and she had taken full advantage of the fact that all three of her daughters were away from home.

"My name is Lizzie Bennet, and my mother blew up the house."

After the title card, she said, "Okay, so she didn't literally blow up the house, but she did decide that now is the time for our house to get a huge remodel. Something about the value of the house. Maybe we're selling it. Anyway, long story short, we are now homeless."

"Gosh, nerd, do you ever stop talking to that thing," said Lydia barging in, "put the camera down and come have some freaking fun with me."

"I still have to finish the video," said Lizzie, "besides shouldn't you be worried about where we are going to stay while our house is being remodeled."

"We're all staying with Cousin Mary. No worries," then Lydia skipped off.

"Clearly Lydia hasn't thought this through," said Lizzie. "Marry lives with her mom and dad in on of the smallest houses I've ever seen. I'll end up sleeping on an air mattress with Lydia while Jane gets the couch.

Then Jane came in. "Lizzie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm just worried about the next two weeks. I mean you'll have to double your commute every day."

"Actually I'm not staying at Mary's. Bing invited me to stay at Netherfield."

Lizzie grinned at her sister.

"Not in his room," said Jane, flushing, "in one of the guest rooms. Also, you're invited too. Bing has plenty of guest rooms.. I'm sure Darcy would love it too."

"But Caroline wouldn't. I'm probably her least favorite person right now."

"Actually it was Caroline's idea. She was with Bing when I called and she told him to invite you as well."

"Hmm, Caroline is playing nice?" said Lizzie, "that seems pretty hard to believe."

"Lizzie, you should really be more trusting. She's been friends with Darcy for years and she probably just wants him to be happy. And you make him happy, so that's the end of it."

"You can keep believing that. I wouldn't want you to think poorly of your potential future sister-in-law."

"So you'll come stay. I would really like it."

"Of course."

"This is going to be so much fun!" said Jane.

"Yes, and mom will be thrilled. Her two eldest daughters under the same roof as two handsome, rich young men. Mom has stepped up her game. This is her best convoluted plan yet."

"Oh, Lizzie," said Jane, "I'm sure this wasn't mom's plan."

"It's fine. Looks like we're going to Netherfield."

-/-

"So, did you hear the big news," said Lizzie. She finally got a hold of Darcy late Wednesday night.

"Bing mentioned that he had something to tell me. I was in meetings all afternoon though."

"Well, I might as well tell you. You're getting two new roommates for two weeks, starting Friday."

"What are you talking about?" asked Darcy.

"Jane and I are staying at Netherfield while our house is getting remodeled."

"Oh," he said.

"I've rendered the great William Darcy speechless. Really, I'm shocked," said Lizzie.

"Forgive me, Lizzie. That's great. I'll be glad to see you at breakfast every morning."

"Oh yes, you'll get to see my fabulous pajamas," teased Lizzie.

"I look forward to it, Lizzie, and I will see you on Friday. It's getting late and I have a full day of meetings tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll see you Friday. Goodnight, William."

"Goodnight, Lizzie."

-/-

"You know, sometimes I wonder how I got here, specifically, here in this crazy expensive and enormous house. So let's recap. Bing Lee moved in, my mom had several panic attacks, Jane met Bing. I met Darcy. Darcy and I started dating. Jane and Bing still aren't exclusive. Then we went to Vidcon and my mom decided that the house needed to be remodeled, resulting in us being homeless. You guys know the rest, Bing rode in on his white horse and rescued us. My name is Lizzie Bennet and welcome to Netherfield."

Lizzie paused a few seconds.

"So you guys might be wondering how I'm feeling about being here. First, the good. I get to hang out with Jane, I get to know Bing Lee more, and of course, I get to spend more time with Darcy. And no, you are probably not going to see Darcy. He's a very private guy."

Lizzie smiled slightly before getting back on topic. "And the bad—"

Then there was a knock on the door. "Jane, are you in there with Lizzie? My brother is looking for you."

"Jane isn't in here," said Lizzie, as she quickly threw her jacket over the camera, but it was too late.

The door swung open. "Oh, Lizzie, you're filming."

"What? No I'm not."

Caroline laughed. "Oh please, what is under the jacket then."

"Nothing," said Lizzie. Gosh, she was a terrible liar.

"Don't worry Lizzie, I already know about the videos."

"You do? How?"

"Oh, don't worry. Darcy didn't tell me. I found them for myself. Anyway, since Jane's not here I would like to talk to you for a few minutes, if you don't mind."

"Sure, let me just turn the camera off."

"No, you can keep it on," said Caroline, with the biggest, fakest smile Lizzie had ever seen.

"Okay," said Lizzie, "why don't you sit?"

"Lizzie, I would like for us to be friends."

"Really," said Lizzie, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Oh yes. You are Darcy's girlfriend now, and since you're staying here for the next couple of weeks, I would really like you to feel comfortable and welcome here."

"Umm, thanks, this is unexpected."

"Why is it unexpected," asked Caroline with mock sweetness.

"Well, last time we saw each other you were pretty mad."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm over that. It's all water under the bridge. I just want you and Darcy to be happy. You are happy right?"

"Yes, of course. It's been a good six weeks."

"And that's all that matters," said Caroline. "So we can be friends?"

"Okay, sure," said Lizzie. Even though she didn't trust Caroline as far as she could throw her, she didn't want to make a scene or cause any drama.

"Good. I'm so glad, and I forgive you Lizzie, and your cute little editing friend. I hope you will continue these video blogs. I'd even like to help you."

"Really?"

"Yes. Any time you want to talk, I'll be here for you. And I won't tell Bing about these videos. It would be a disaster if he found out, especially considering your sister's budding relationship with him."

"Wow. Thank you."

"You're quite welcome, Elizabeth Bennet. Please join us for lunch in fifteen minutes."

-/-

After dinner Lizzie and Darcy went upstairs while Bing, Jane, and Caroline were watching a romantic comedy.

Lizzie was surprised that she and Darcy had managed to get away. They were in the game room again, and Lizzie turned to Darcy and said, "So, we managed to get away," said Lizzie with relief.

"It's a small miracle," said Darcy.

"Well, I guess if Caroline has to choose between protecting her brother or you from a Bennet sister, it makes sense that she would choose her brother."

"I don't need Caroline's protection. I think I am completely capable of handling you myself," said Darcy, as he pulled her in close and brushed his lips against hers.

"You say that now, we'll see how you feel after two months, and after I've been living with you for a short time."

"I believe I am up to the challenge," said Darcy.

"I'm glad. On a strange note, Caroline wants to be friends with me," said Lizzie.

"Really, that is a strange turn of events,"

"I thought so too. She knows about the videos. She came in today while I was filming."

"Oh," said Darcy. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine," said Lizzie. "I don't trust her as far as I can throw her, but I didn't want to create any drama. Especially since I'll be here for the next two weeks."

"That seems wise."

"She said she wasn't going t tell Bing about the videos. Do you think I should tell him? I mean, I'm staying in his house."

"That is up to you," said Darcy.

"I don't want to make things weird for him and Jane, but it seems wrong to keep them a secret while I'm staying in his house."

"It is a dilemma," said Darcy, tightening his arm around her.

"Come on, tell me what you really think," said Lizzie, moving closer and kissing him lightly.

"I think that the sooner we tell Bing about the videos the better it will be, but it is your decision."

"I thought that's what you'd say," said Lizzie. "I'm going to think about it for a few more days."

"Sounds good," said Darcy.

"Oh, William, one more thing," said Lizzie.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For what," asked Darcy, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry I was so sarcastic when we fought last week. Sarcasm is kind of my go to when I'm losing an argument. I'm going to try and work on that."

Darcy shook his head and kissed her again. "It's fine. I believe that we both have things to work on. I'm going to try to stop taking everything so seriously. I'm getting better at recognizing when I am being teased."

"And you're even starting to learn how to tease back," said Lizzie.

"I have a good teacher," he said.

"Well, William, I bet you've never heard this before but you really need to boost your GPA if you want to graduate on time."

"Perhaps I need a private tutor," he said, the corners of his lips quirking up, "do you have anyone in mind?"

"I might be able to do it," said Lizzie, "but it can wait until after this." Then she took his face in her hands and kissed him soundly.

-/-

It was just past midnight, and Lizzie couldn't sleep. It was weird not sleeping in her own bed.

Lizzie sat up staring at the ceiling and after several long moments decided to go to the bathroom.

After she emerged from the guest bathroom she spotted Darcy at the end of the hallway. He was wearing pajama bottoms and a t-shirt.

"William," she said softly, "what are you doing up?"

Darcy came to join her in the middle of the hallway. "I just got back from the library. I couldn't sleep so I had to get a book."

"What a coincidence," said Lizzie, "I couldn't sleep either."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he ask.

"Oh, look who's working blue," said Lizzie.

"That's not what I meant," said Darcy, his neck retreating into his chin. Lizzie wondered if it was a nervous tick.

"I know," then her eyes lit up. "Oh wait, there is something you can do for me."

"Anything," he said.

"Show me your room," she said.

"Look who's working blue now," he shot back.

"No, I can't sleep. The bed is too big and empty. You might be able to help me fall asleep. Actually, it would be mutual."

"Okay," said Darcy, taking her hand and going down to the long hallway, turning left, and stopping at the third door to the right. He opened the door. "Here it is."

"Wow," whispered Lizzie, "Bing sure has nice guest rooms."

Lizzie ran over to the enormous bed and pulled back the covers. When she was all nestled in, she patted the space beside her and looked at Darcy expectantly.

Darcy stood frozen in his place, gaping at her.

"Are you going to join me?"

"Are you sure," he said.

"It's early for us. We'll just sleep, I promise."

Darcy could hardly believe that one of his fantasies was playing out. He agreed that it was too soon for them to become intimate. He didn't want to ruin this relationship by going too fast, but that hadn't kept him from imagining spending an entire night with Lizzie nestled in his arms. Darcy smiled and joined her, wrapping his arms around her slender frame.

He trailed kisses along the smooth curve of her neck. Her skin felt glorious against his lips.

Lizzie sighed contentedly and snuggled into his chest. "Goodnight, William. Sweet dreams."

Having Lizzie in his arms was the sweetest dream imaginable, but he wasn't about to tell her that. "Goodnight, Lizzie."


	19. Chapter 19

The first few days at Netherfield passed without much conflict.

On their second day, Jane started to feel under the weather. Bing and Caroline were attentive hosts. Although Lizzie suspected that the only reason Caroline even bothered was for Bing's benefit.

Caroline hadn't spoken to Lizzie at all since their conversation on camera. Whenever Bing's back was turned Lizzie would notice Caroline throwing her a dirty look, especially when she was with Darcy.

Since Jane was ill, and Lizzie was busy, she had suggested that Jane record a video letter to Charlotte for episode 28.

Jane set up the camera on Wednesday afternoon while Lizzie was out getting coffee with Darcy.

"Hello, Charlotte," said Jane, "I suppose Lizzie has told you that I've come down with a bit of the cold. But I'm getting better. Bing and Caroline have been wonderful. Netherfield is beautiful and besides being sick, I'm having a really nice time."

Jane smiled. "So is Lizzie. She's out with Darcy right now. It's actually really sweet. They've been spending a lot of time together since we've come here. I think they're good together."

Then there was a knock on the door. Jane's face lit up when she turned and saw Bing come into the room. "Oh hi," said Jane.

"What are you doing up here all alone," asked Bing, as he sat beside her and came into frame.

"I'm recording a video letter to Charlotte."

"Oh." Bing waved to the camera. "Hey Charlotte. You should come visit poor Jane while she's sick. Her sister is out with my best friend right now."

"I told her she should get out of the house," said Jane, "she's been sitting spending a lot of time with me the past two days, and I thought she could use a little time with Darcy. I'm fine anyway. "

"Okay, but I'm a genuine medical student." Then Bing broke the news to her that she only had seven or eight decades to live. "I'm sorry, Jane."

"Only seven or eight?

"I'm sure this is a very difficult time for you, but you must try to stay strong for your sister," he took her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across it.

"Aren't you afraid you'll get infected by my disease. How could I live with myself for the next seventy or eighty years if I knew that I have doomed you as well," teased Jane.

"It's too late. I've already got it."

Jane giggled. "That's terrible that you're going to be dead in eighty years."

"Probably less. Statistically, men don't live as long as women."

"The news keeps getting worse and worse," said Jane.

"So please, Charlotte, if you're watching this, for the love of God do not come here. This house is plagued."

Then Lizzie's voce came from the hall. "Hey, Jane, oh Bing, I didn't know you were up here."

"Oh, hi, Lizzie, we were just recording a letter for Charlotte."

Lizzie came into the room. She looked unhappy. "Caroline says dinner is in five minutes. Are you two coming down? Please say yes."

"Run, Lizzie, run. Go back to Darcy; you have so much to live for! Tell her Jane."

Jane only laughed.

"So, you're not coming down," asked Lizzie.

"Tell Caroline not to wait. We'll be down in a minute."

Lizzie looked relieved, "Awesome. See you in a few."

-/-

. Caroline was chatting with Darcy, who looked likehe'd rather be doing anything else at the moment.

Lizzie was staring at Caroline like she had a second head.

"So, Darcy, tell me about how Gigi is doing. She's going to be so disappointed when she hears that you've been seeing someone. She told me you were a workaholic who wouldn't settle for anything less than a CEO of another Digital Media Company."

"Gigi, is fine," said Darcy tersely, "and she if very happy for me,"

Bing and Jane came down to the dining room to a room filled with tension. Of course they'd heard the last thing Caroline had said. "Caroline," said Bing, "I don't think that was very kind of you to say."

Caroline looked towards Bing and her face fell. Her brother wasn't supposed to hear that. "I was just teasing," said Caroline. "Gigi and I used to joke about it all the time."

"I don't remember that," said Bing and he and Jane sat at the table.

Jane sat between Bing and Lizzie. She leaned in and whispered, "Lizzie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said back. "Caroline took advantage of the fact that I went up to get the two of you. Don't worry about it."

"That doesn't sound very convincing," said Jane.

"I'm fine," said Lizzie again.

Darcy was looking at her with a touch of concern as well.

"I don't think I'm very hungry. I had two scones at Starbucks," announced Lizzie to the table. "If you'll please excuse me." Then she quickly left the table.

-/-

At least the footage of Jane and Bing was adorable. She recorded a quick intro and then sent the footage to Charlotte so she could cut it together. Otherwise she wouldn't have any footage. She would think about telling Big about the videos later.

Caroline's actions today confirmed Lizzie's suspicions that Caroline's wish to be friend shad been insincere. Well, Lizzie would try to be the bigger person and also she would try to avoid being alone with Caroline.

A half an hour later there was a knock on her door. "Who is it?"

"It's William," came Darcy's deep voice.

"Come in," said Lizzie, and he did.

He sat beside her on the edge of the bed and put his arm around her shoulder. "Are you okay, Lizzie? Caroline was wrong about what she said."

In truth, Caroline's words had awakened insecurities that Lizzie didn't even know she had. Of course, she knew that Darcy was a rich, successful CEO, but for the first time she realized how big the discrepancies between them truly were. After all, she was a grad student who would be in massive debt a year from now. She was hardly a good match for Darcy, and Caroline knew that.

She felt Darcy's grip tighten. "Lizzie Bennet, so you actually care what Caroline thinks about you?" Darcy sounded incredulous.

"No, not specifically Caroline, but what will people think if this becomes a serious relationship? I'm a broke grad student, and the fact that I want to work in the same field, as you will make it look like I'm only dating you to get a job. I'll look like a gold digger.

Darcy frowned. "Anyone who thinks of you in that way is not someone who I care to associate with," said Darcy evenly. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Is this how it's going to be while I'm here? Is Caroline just going to make snide comments every time that Jane of Bing isn't around?"

"No," said Darcy. "I won't let her. Caroline's behavior took me by surprise this evening. I knew she was upset, but I never thought she would say anything like she did. I though she was above this kind of behavior."

"Well, apparently she isn't." said Lizzie. "Well at least now I have proof that she was insincere about what she said when she was on my last video."

"What are you going to do now?' asked Darcy.

"I'm going to be the bigger person. I have no reason to be unhappy her. I have you and Jane here and Bing has been wonderful. I can put up with Caroline until the house gets repaired."

"I'm glad," said Darcy, kissing her temple.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" said Lizzie.

"About what?"

"About crossing the bridge? "

"Yes, Lizzie, I'm in this for the long run," said Darcy seriously. "I know it's only been six weeks, but this feels right. I believe we could have a future."

"Really?" asked Lizzie, with a smile.

"Really," said Darcy, "Does that scare you?'

"A little bit," said Lizzie, "but in a good kind of way."

"Yes, me too," he said.

-/-

After the video with Bing was posted Lizzie felt a little bit guilty. Of course, the viewers loved seeing Bing, they'd been asking to see him for weeks. However, viewer satisfaction didn't equate to her doing the right thing by keeping the footage.

For the rest of the day, Lizzie tried to ignore the slight feeling of guilt. On Friday afternoon, she finally broke down and went to talk to Jane about it.

"I mean, Bing knew he was on video but he didn't know that the entire Internet was going to have access to the videos and not just Charlotte," Lizzie said as she finished expressing her worries to Jane. "I think we should consider telling him about the videos. What do you think?"

Jane shrugged, "Well, if he hadn't been caught on film I would say that it wasn't as important that he should know, but now that he's in the videos I agree with you. He has the right to know. What does Darcy think?"

"We haven't talked about it ye. I mean we talked about it a couple of days ago, but that was before Bing walked in on you recording. He said it was up to me if I wanted to tell him."

"Well, Darcy knows, and Caroline knows. Bing is the only one who doesn't know and that doesn't feel right," said Jane.

"I know, but who should be the one to tell him? I feel like I should tell him since they are my video blogs, but then again, he might get less upset if it comes from you or Darcy. I don't know."

"I could tell him," offered Jane. "I don't want this secret to come between us."

"And there is no way he could possibly stay upset with you for longer than ten seconds," teased Lizzie.

Jane flushed. "When should I tell him?"

"I don't know," said Lizzie.

"I suppose sooner is better than later," said Jane. "It's a tough decision. Have you asked Charlotte?"

"I can't get a hold of her. Oh I know, we can use the videos. That's where I've been working out my problems so far."

"Okay, how about this, you shoot your video and I'll rest. I'm still not feeling great. Then when you're done we can decide when to tell him."

"That's a great idea," said Lizzie, "get some rest now, Jane." Lizzie hugged her sister before she went back to her room.

-/-

"My name is Lizzie Bennet and I think we crossed a line with my last video."

"Lizzie spent the next minute explaining the situation, and tried to call Charlotte for the second time. However she didn't answer.

Then, none other than Bing Lee himself interrupted her. "Hey Lizzie, I was wondering what movie I should get for tonight? Which do you think Jane would like better?"

Lizzie gasped. "Bing, how much did you hear?"

"Nothing, but I see you're filming again. Hey Charlotte. Anyway, which one would Jane like better?" He showed her the two options on his phone.

"Well, Jane loves period romances," said Lizzie, but are you seriously going to go out and get that movie?"

"Well, Jane's not feeling so well and we don't have it at the house so I figured that I would just go out and buy it."

"That's so sweet," said Lizzie, "but they might revoke your man card."

Bing grinned. "Don't tell Darcy."

"I won't," said Lizzie with a smile.

"Okay, well Ill go and get the movie."

Then he left the room.

Lizzie turned back to the camera, "Okay we might need to delete some of this too."

Once again she was interrupted, this time by Caroline.

"Oh, Lizzie, you're filming. Great." Caroline came in and sat down without being invited.

Lizzie just stared at her. "What are you doing here?" she finally asked.

"I wanted to apologize for what I say the other night at dinner, about Darcy only wanting to date a CEO. I didn't mean it the way you took it. It's just something that I used to joke about."

"Okay," said Lizzie.

"So you accept my apology?"

"Sure," said Lizzie, not wanting to cause any drama.

"And we're still friends?"

"I don't think we are," said Lizzie, without thinking. "What you said was rude and inconsiderate. I think that we should be civil for Jane and Bing's sake, but I don't think that friendship between you and I is possible, at least not until you move past your disappointment about me and Darcy."

Caroline frowned. "Lizzie, I told you that I wanted you and Darcy to be happy."

"You did, but I'm not sure that you meant it," said Lizzie.

"Fine, if that's the way you feel then I guess we aren't friends, and since we're not friends, I guess I don't have to keep these videos a secret from my brother. Think about that Lizzie Bennet," said Caroline. Then she flipped her hair and walked off camera.

Lizzie froze with the expression of a deer caught in headlights. Then she turned off the camera. This wasn't going to be pretty.


	20. Chapter 20

Bing got back from the video store a while later only to find Caroline waiting to tell him something. "Hello, my dear brother," said Caroline with a smile, "I have something to tell you, and I don't think you're going to be very happy about it.

Bing set the new DVD on the counter top. "Okay," said Bing, "what is this about."

"Lizzie and Jane Bennet aren't the nice girls that they pretend to be," said Caroline, and just as she was about to continue, Jane and Lizzie appeared in the kitchen with Darcy in tow.

Bing looked from Jane, who was pale, to Lizzie, who was flushed, and then to his best friend, who just looked uncomfortable.

"Hey guys," said Bing, "Caroline was just about to tell me something. Do you know what this is about?"

"Yes," said Jane, "can we talk alone?"

"Bing, I don't think that this is a good idea," said Caroline. She knew perfectly well that Bing couldn't possibly stay mad at Jane Bennet for long.

"Stay out of this, Caroline," said Darcy sharply, surprising everyone in the room. Darcy was always so even tempered, and the fact that he sounded angry made Caroline take a step back from the group.

Bing shot a confused look at his best friend, who nodded, before turning back to Jane. "Yes, sure. We can talk."

Jane took his hand and they headed off to a room in another part of the house.

-/-

Jane had her laptop with her and set it down on the coffee table. "Come sit by me," said Jane, and Bing did so.

"Jane, what is this about?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"I don' know how you're going to feel about this, but you deserve to know the truth. Lizzie has a video blog and she's talk about you on her videos quite a bit."

"So when you were recording a video letter for Charlotte, that was for a video blog?"

"Yes," said Jane, "It wasn't just for Charlotte. Lizzie used the footage for episode 28. Her viewers have been dying to see you, so they were happy, but that doesn't mean we were right to put that footage up on the Internet." Jane pulled up the play list and played the first video for Bing.

Bing watched in silence and then when the video ended he turned to Jane and asked, "So you and Lizzie and Lydia have been talking about me on the Internet for thousands of people to see?"

"Yes," said Jane. She was frowning now. "I'm so sorry. This started out as just a project for Lizzie's class, but then she decided to keep it going, and then everything with the house happened. I can understand if you're mad. Do you want to watch the rest of the videos?" All of this came out in a rush.

Bing wasn't sure what to do, but he might as well watch them to see what was said about him. "I'll watch the videos and we can talk later," said Bing.

Jane nodded. "Okay, and we're all so sorry, especially me. I hope you can forgive us." Then she left Bing to watch the rest of the videos in peace.

-/-

Bing Lee had a very forgiving nature. They did not watch the period romance he'd brought home. Instead, he was left alone to watch the other 27 videos.

Afterwards he felt an array of emotions towards the people that were living in his house.

He wasn't angry with Lizzie. Perhaps he was a little annoyed, and a tad embarrassed, and at one point, a touch offended. However, at least she hadn't said anything that was really bad about him, and she hadn't constantly ridiculed him like she had Darcy. So he would definitely be able to forgive her.

He was more upset with Darcy. Darcy was his best friend and had known about the videos form very early on. However, if Lizzie or someone else had said something truly offensive, Darcy would have told him. Bing would have to talk to Darcy to see how long he had known about the videos and get his side as to why he hadn't told him. However, he suspected he would be able to forgive his best friend rather quickly.

Caroline, however was another matter She had appeared on Lizzie's video this week and had basically promised to keep the videos a secret from him. Caroline had never purposely lied to him. Although he knew he would forgive her eventually because she was family, he was the most upset with his sister.

Finally, it was impossible to be mad at Jane. She was so sweet and kind, and she always called Lizzie or Charlotte or Lydia out if they said something they shouldn't have. More importantly, Jane had basically said, and showed, that she cared for him, in front of the entire Internet. As long as they no longer kept secrets from each other, Bing could picture having a stable and long term relationship with Jane Bennet, and he couldn't be happier.

He told Jane this when she came in later.

"So," she said, "are you mad?"

"Not at you or Lizzie," he said. "I'm kind of upset with Caroline and Darcy."

"Well I can't speak for either of them, but I know that Lizzie is really sorry, and so am I."

"I know. Thank you for telling me, Jane."

"You're welcome. So, are we good?"

"We're fine, but Jane, if this relationship is going to work we shouldn't keep secrets from each other, okay?"

Jane gave him a glowing smile. "We're in a relationship?"

"Yes, if you want to be," said Bing.

"I do," said Jane, and she gave him a hug. "Thank you for being so understanding. You're a great guy."

"I really care about you, Jane," he said without thinking, and before he knew it, Jane was kissing him.

-/-

"So, is the video going to be ready for tomorrow," asked Darcy. He and Lizzie were still in the kitchen. Darcy had made her a cup of tea after Caroline went upstairs and locked herself in her room.

"Yes, I sent the footage to Charlotte. She'll cut it together. At least I'll have something to talk about for episode 30. I hope everything is all right between him and Jane, and that he isn't mad at me."

"Bing has always been quick to forgive," said Darcy. "Sometimes a little too quick."

"And we all know that your good opinion once lost is lost forever," teased Lizzie. He'd said something about his unforgiving nature a few days back, and Lizzie had laughed and called him stubborn. In return he'd said the old pot and kettle cliché, causing her to laugh harder.

"Well, I just hope everything will work out."

"It will," said Darcy, "Bing really cares about Jane."

"He does," asked Lizzie excitedly.

Darcy nodded, kissed her temple and told her not to worry.

A few minutes later Jane came in with Bing. Her happiness was practically bursting out of her. "Lizzie, Bing asked me to be his girlfriend."

Lizzie squealed and ran to hug her older sister. "I'm so happy for you, Jane." Then she turned to Bing, "are we okay?"

"Yes," said Bing, "We're fine."

"I'll make the same promise I made to Darcy. I will try my hardest not to say anything embarrassing about you on the videos. If you want me to take down 28 and cut out the footage of you from tomorrow's vide, I will totally do that."

Bing smiled. "No. It's fine. Keep it. Your viewers loved it. I read some of the comments."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Wow. It's been forever. The last couple months have been crazy, not only have I started school again, but I finally finished editing and now my first self published novel, **_**Mr. Darcy's Kiss (A Pride and Prejudice Variation)**_** is available on Amazon. Hopefully this story will help fill the void until Emma Approved starts. I will try and update every few days, but my schedule is very busy. Anyway, it feels good to be back. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Bing hadn't spoken to Darcy since Monday, and Darcy was getting worried.

Yes, he acknowledged that he probably deserved it, but Bing was usually so forgiving. Darcy knew that they would have to talk about what happened, which is why he went to find Bing Thursday afternoon after he'd filed some reports.

Darcy knocked on the library door, where he knew Bing liked to study.

"Come in," said Bing, probably thinking it was Jane.

When Darcy entered, Bing looked up from his enormous medical textbook. His face fell. "Oh, Darcy, I thought you were working."

"I finished early. You've been avoiding me."

"I know," said Bing, "I'm sorry. I just needed some time."

Darcy moved to sit across from his friend. "You don't need to apologize. You deserve to be upset with me. I haven't been a very good friend this summer. I should have told you about the videos."

"Yes, you should have. Why didn't you?"

"I promised Lizzie that I wouldn't tell you unless I believed it to be necessary. "

Bing looked skeptical. "Well, when would it have become necessary?"

Darcy took a moment to consider this. At length he said, "If you and Jane had begun a relationship, or if Lizzie had said something patently untrue about you."

Bing nodded. "You still should have told me."

"I know. Lizzie said I could have, but I didn't want to upset her. Nor did I want to upset you. For what it's worth, I am very sorry for not telling you. If I could go back and change my actions I would do so."

Bing was silent for a long moment. "Darcy, I forgive you. I can understand why you didn't tell me, but I will ask you not to keep serious things like this a secret from me in the future."

Darcy smiled slightly. Bing was too forgiving for his own good. "That is an easy promise to make," said Darcy, and he extended his hand. "Friends?"

Bing shook it, "Friends."

"Well I'll let you get back to studying," said Darcy.

Bing grinned up at him/ "Is that code for 'I'm going to go find Lizzie'? I know that you try and get your work done before spending time with her. If you're curious, your success rate is about fifty percent."

Darcy shook his head. "I could say the same about you and Jane," he said. Then he turned and walked out of the room. Indeed, he was going to find Lizzie. Bing knew him well.

-/-

"Hello, lovely viewers, I'm sorry this video is a day late" said Lizzie into the camera. "It's been a busy few days here at Netherfield, and as you can imagine, they've been filled with drama. How much drama, you ask? Well . . ." Then the title card flashed across the screen.

So, I bet you've all been wondering what happened after Caroline made her dramatic exit on my last video, well, here to reenact the drama is a very special person."

Jump cut.

"No, it isn't Darcy. Maybe I'll get him to appear on screen one day, but today is not that day."

Another cut.

"No, it isn't Bing Lee, although he knows about the videos now." Lizzie made a face before reaching off camera and pulling her older sister into view.

"It's the lovely Jane Bennet!" said Lizzie excitedly. "Now, before we tell you what happened, after our discussion of ethics from the last couple videos, we knew we needed to ask if it was okay to share. Luckily, Bing is just about the nicest guy on the planet and gave Jane his permission to portray him. Did we get such permission from Caroline? No. So we'll have to improvise. Ready Jane?"

Jump cut.

Jane was wearing the doctor's mirror while Lizzie had put on some huge sunglasses.

"Bing, I have to tell you something. Those Bennet sisters are not the nice girls they appear to be," said Lizzie!Caroline.

"What are you talking about?" asked Jane!Bing.

"Lizzie Bennet has a video blog, and she has been talking about you in front of thousands of people."

Jane looked shocked. Then both sisters removed their costume pieces.

"Okay, so it was more dramatic in real life, but I have to say that I've learned a lot these past couple months. There are some things you share and some you don't, and even though Caroline and I aren't friends, I don't want to hurt her by sharing everything she said and did these past few days. Sufficed to say, things got pretty intense. Yesterday, she flew back to LA to spend a couple of weeks with her friends." Lizzie looked a bit relieved. "Anyway, enough with the bad, let's talk about the good. Lovely viewers, my practically perfect sister Jane has something she wants to share with you."

Jane turned scarlet and murmured something about not wanting to brag.

Lizzie sighed. "My sister is the most modest person ever. Well fine, as Lydia likes to call them 'Jung' is now a thing. Bing asked Jane to be his girlfriend!"

Lizzie paused to give her viewers a moment to let the news sink in. Then, "And let me tell you, they are nauseatingly adorable. He's taking her out to dinner tonight to the best restaurant in town to celebrate. Do you have anything you want to add?"

Jane blushed even more. "Bing is really sweet, and I'm really happy," said Jane. "I do hope that everything with Caroline will be all right though. I don't want things to be awkward."

"Caroline is a big girl. She can take care of herself," said Lizzie, "her tone indicating that she didn't want to talk about Caroline anymore. Then her phone rang. "Hello, mom? Is the house done?"

Lizzie listened as her mother ranted about how far behind the remodel was.

"It's going to take more time? Okay, well let us know as soon as it's finished. We don't want to be a burden for Bing," said Lizzie calmly, knowing full well that Bing would be ridiculously happy when they told him that they would have to say for another couple of weeks. For that matter, so would Darcy.

Lizzie hung up. "Well, looks like we're staying for a while longer," said Lizzie to Jane.

Jane grinned. "Great, that means we can double date!"

Lizzie tried to hide a smile as she turned off the camera.

-/-

Darcy knocked on her door shortly after the video was posted.

Lizzie opened the door. "Good morning, William," she said, batting her eyelashes at him "What brings you here so early in the morning. I thought you were going to sleep in for once. It's the middle of summer."

"Well there is this girl with a video blog. She is very compelling, and this is the first time I have managed to watch her video right after it was posted."

"And you've come to deliver you evaluation?" asked Lizzie playfully.

"If she'll listen," said Darcy with a small smile.

"I'm all ears, Mr. Darcy," said Lizzie, taking his tie and pulling him into her room.

They settled on the bed and Lizzie turned to him. "So, what did you think?"

"I enjoyed it very much," said Darcy, "especially the end. I'm glad you'll be here for a few more weeks."

"So is my mother. Just wait until she talks to Jane. We'll never be allowed to go back home."

"I wouldn't mind that," said Darcy. "Nor would Bing."

"Well aren't you two accommodating? The same can't be said for Caroline."

Darcy shook his head. "You shouldn't worry about her, Lizzie. She's not here. She'll calm down with time. She and Bing are very close."

"If you say so. I'm not worried about her and Bing, ore even her and Jane. I just know that she and I will likely never get along and that is bound to cause a lot of tension and awkwardness in the future."

"I won't let her be rude to you Lizzie, and neither will Bing."

"Thanks," said Lizzie. "That's sweet of you." She leaned in and kissed him lightly.

"So, Jane wants us to double date with her and Bing some time this week, what do you say to that?"

"I will do anything that will make you happy, Lizzie."

"And Jane can usually get me to do anything," said Lizzie. "Knowing Jane and Bing this will be the sappiest double date ever."


	22. Chapter 22

"So, Jane and Bing are pretty much the cutest couple ever," said Lizzie. "Honestly, it's getting a bit maddening to be here. They are so agreeable all the time. They are so adorable that I want to gauge my eyes out with a spork sometimes. At least Caroline is gone. She was always prone to smiling along with whatever her brother said. Well, unless it was something nice about Jane."

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I'm getting off topic. My mom says we'll probably have to stay here for another two weeks. It's not a bad thing, really, but living in the same house with the world's cutest couple might start to get on my nerves. I love them both, but they avoid conflict and drama like the plague. And we all know that the Lizzie Bennet Diaries is all about the drama."

Lizzie sighed. "Well, at least there is one person I can count on to shake things up. Thank goodness for my boyfriend William Darcy. And no, you still don't get to see him. I haven't convinced him to appear on the videos. He can be even more stubborn than me, but don't worry, loyal viewers, I'll get him on screen soon."

Lizzie heard footsteps in the hallway. "Lizzie," called Jane, "Are you filming?"

"Yes," said Lizzie.

"Can I help?"

"Of course."

Jane came and sat beside her. "So, were you talking about Darcy?"

"Among other things," said Lizzie.

"I just saw him working in the den. Bing was trying to get him to put his laptop away."

"Was he successful?" asked Lizzie.

"What do you think?" asked Jane.

"I think the viewers would enjoy some Darcy costume theater since he won't appear in person."

There was a cut.

Jane was wearing the Newsie cap and Lizzie had the doctor's mirror. Jane handed a sheet of paper to Lizzie, and then opened Lizzie's laptop and began typing furiously.

"Darcy," said Lizzie!Bing "Why don't you put your laptop away. Jane and I thought it would be fun to go for a wine tasting and scenic drive I think you and Lizzie should come with us."

"I have a lot of work to do," said Jane!Darcy in a deep voice. "You and Jane should go enjoy yourselves. Lizzie and I will be fine on our own. She's filming today."

"Come on, Darcy," said Lizzie, "You've been working nonstop this entire weekend. It's going to be a beautiful evening and you deserve a break."

"I'll take a break when you and Jane drag us out for whatever you are planning for the double date this week."

"But this will be fun too," said Lizzie in her puppy dog Bing voice. "Do I need to get Lizzie down here to convince you."

Jane!Darcy heaved a sigh. "Fine. What time are we leaving?"

"In an hour and a half. That should give you enough time to finish what you're doing and get ready"

The girls removed the their costumes. "William Darcy," said Lizzie with a smile, "the very definition of a workaholic."

"That may be so," said Jane, "but whenever you two are in the same room he stares at you constantly."

"I know. It's like I'm a traffic accident and he just can't look away," said Lizzie jokingly. "William Darcy, good for many things. How many things? Maybe I'll tell you later."

-/-

Jane, Bing, Lizzie and Darcy were sitting comfortably in the convertible. Bing was driving with Jane in the passenger seat and Lizzie and Darcy in the back. The top was down, and Lizzie took delight in staring at the familiar scenery as they sped down the road.

Darcy's hand was resting on her knee. Lizzie laid her and on top of his as she continued to observe the scenery. At length, Darcy leaned in close. Lizzie could feel his breath on her neck.

"How did filming go," he asked.

Lizzie tore her gaze away from her surrounding. "It went well. You might like tomorrow's video."

"I like all of your videos," he said.

"But this one has Costume Theater. Jane is playing you."

"I see," said Darcy, trying to imagine it. "Well, I look forward to it."

"So, when will I be able to convince you to appear on camera? My viewers have been begging for it for weeks."

"Lizzie, I'm a very private man."

"I know, but it would mean a lot to me if you would consider appearing in the videos."

Darcy smiled down at her. "For you, I'll consider it, but I make no guarantees."

"I'll wear you down eventually," teased Lizzie.

"I have no doubt that you will," he said, squeezing her hand in his.

-/-

Lizzie had never had so much expensive wine in her life. Bing had insisted on sampling nearly every kind and variety. When the evening came to a close, Bing Jane and Lizzie were all pretty hammered. Darcy had volunteered to be the designated drive and had only tried a few types of wine at the beginning of the evening.

They all stumbled towards the convertible. Lizzie kept a tight grip on Darcy's arm. Jane and Bing climbed into the back.

The drive was filled with animated nonsense as Lizzie went on in detail about what would happen if each of them were characters in the star wars universe. It got quite ridiculous when she compared Darcy to Yoda and Bing to R2-D2.

"Lizzie, that doesn't even make sense," said Darcy.

"Hush and keep driving, William. My mother would obviously be Darth Vader because the 2.5 WPF club is like the dark side."

"Lizzie," said Jane, "That's ridiculous. Mom would be a Jedi. She only wants the best for us."

"No she wants her children to follow in her ways. But don't worry Jane. Darth Vader isn't all bad. He's just sort of crazy. In the end he did destroy the Sith and save his son."

Darcy laid a hand on her knee, "Calm down, Lizzie. I think you are getting far too invested in this ridiculous conversation."

"You're just upset because I didn't compare you to Han Solo," said Lizzie,

"You called yourself Princess Leia and said Charlotte would be Han. That makes no sense."

"It's my galaxy," slurred Lizzie.

Darcy sighed and was relieved when the returned to Netherfield.

The couples said their goodnights. Jane and Bing were less drunk than Lizzie and were able to make it to their own rooms with no problems. Lizzie, however, needed to be carried up the stairs, which Darcy happily did.

He laid her down on the bed and Lizzie took his hands and pulled him down with her, kissing him deeply. When they pulled apart Lizzie said, "You know, I think you would be a better Han than Charlotte. I think the alcohol was clouding my judgment. Plus, Char is clearly Yoda because she knows everything."

Darcy smiled indulgently. "Get some sleep, Lizzie. Jane gave me a list of your favorite hangover food. I'll have them for you tomorrow."

"You're the best," said Lizzie as she began to drift off.

Darcy leaned down and kissed her goodnight before returning to his own room.

-/-

Lizzie's head was pounding when she woke up the next morning. It was already 11:30/ She'd never thought of herself as a lightweight but apparently all that expensive wine hade been too much for her.

There was a knock on her door, "Come in," Lizzie croaked.

Darcy came in with a tray piled with a selection of Lizzie's favorite hangover foods, including pancakes, eggs, a bowl of mac and cheese, a sliced kiwi and banana, a large bottle or water, a blue Gatorade and a glass of apple juice.

Lizzie grinned as he set it on the nightstand.

"William, you went all out."

"You don't have to eat it all, I just thought that it would be good to cover all the bases."

"You're so sweet. What did I ever do to deserve you?" asked Lizzie groggily.

"You don't need to do anything, Lizzie. You are amazing just as you are. I'll let you rest some more. If you need anything else, I'm here."

"Where are Bing and Jane?"

"They went to the Farmer's Market," said Darcy.

"Will you stay with me, William?"

"Of course. I will come back shortly. I should get my laptop so I can get some work done."

"Okay. See you soon."

Lizzie picked up the tray and began to eat breakfast, feeling truly lucky to have William Darcy for her boyfriend. He really did look after those he cared about. In the future she would learn just how true that was.


End file.
